Force of Habit: the Mystical Foundations of the Narcotic

2 de julho de 20121min19
pdf

By Simon Peter Howell
The story of the western world’s addiction to cocaine begins with a cut. Ernst von Fleischl-Marxow, a prominent scientist and close friend of Sigmund Freud, was dissecting a cadaver when he cut his thumb with the surgical knife. The wound became infected, and von Fleischl-Marxow had to have the digit amputated. Unfortunately the amputation did not remove the infection, and a neuromata soon formed. The wound became extremely painful, so much so that von Fleischl-Marxow considered suicide. Unable to continue his decorated career in the burgeoning field of medical science, he also fell into a deep depression. As was the prescribed remedy of the time, von Fleischl-Marxow began to use morphine in order to ease the pain; however he soon became addicted to the drug.

pdf HOWELL-PhD-TR12-109.pdf


Sobre a UNIAD

A Unidade de Pesquisa em álcool e Drogas (UNIAD) foi fundada em 1994 pelo Prof. Dr. Ronaldo Laranjeira e John Dunn, recém-chegados da Inglaterra. A criação contou, na época, com o apoio do Departamento de Psiquiatria da UNIFESP. Inicialmente (1994-1996) funcionou dentro do Complexo Hospital São Paulo, com o objetivo de atender funcionários dependentes.



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