A history of addiction in medical personnel

Abstract

The passage of time and the changing perception of societal mores have blurred the lines between legality and the nonprescription ingestion of many drugs. The human race has long sought several goals in life: relief of pain, dominance over others, and discovery of a state distinguished by supreme emotional and intellectual elevation. Under the guise of seeking means to alleviate pain, many health care workers have liberally partaken of drugs in an attempt to determine which agents would be most efficacious. Physicians, especially in the military, found that strength and endurance came from cocaine ingestion and liberally gave it to themselves and to the soldiers. Others found that prescribing narcotics freely for all types of conditions ensured a stable and satisfied clientele. Of course, along the way, there were numerous accounts of the wonders and enhanced states that were to be achieved by using these substances. But, on the other hand, there were doctors who fought hard against universal access to narcotics, alcohol, and tobacco and who advocated strongly for the recognition of addiction as a disease.