The First US Opioid Crisis - Dr. Jonathan S. Jones

About this episode

The episode explores the hidden history of opium use during the American Civil War and its long-term effects on veterans.

Dr. Lynn Price Robbins and Isaac S. Loftus sit down with historian Dr. Jonathan S. Jones to uncover the hidden history of opium use during the American Civil War. Hailed as a miracle cure for battlefield pain, opium left countless veterans battling lifelong addiction—an often-overlooked consequence of war that shaped lives long after the fighting ended.   Please support this podcast by checking out our patreon: www.patreon.com/primarysourcemedia   CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Introductions 1:12 - How did you choose your topic? 3:25 - The journey to discovering opium’s role 4:39 - The difference between opium and morphine 6:40 - Pre-modern medicine ear 8:25 - Opium's prevalence in the U.S. civil war medicine 10:47 - Addiction awareness in the 19th century 13:52 - Changing the perception of addiction 17:55 - Civil War Veterans and opium use 21:02 - Access to opium: The unregulated market 22:46 - Supply and Demand: Opium During the Civil War 27:00 - Medical Advancements and the Hypodermic Syringe 32:44 - International Influence on Civil War Medicine 34:19 - The Emergence of Addiction Post-Civil War 37:57 - How was Morphine Prescribed 39:54 - Responses to Addiction: A Historical…

People in this episode

Hosts: Dr. Lynn Price Robbins, Isaac S. Loftus

Guest: Dr. Jonathan S. Jones

Topics covered

• opioid crisis
• American Civil War
• addiction
• historical medicine
• veterans
• opium

Keywords

• opium
• addiction
• Civil War
• veterans
• historian
• medicine
• morphine

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Primary Source Media

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