The Pursuit of Oblivion: A Global History of NarcoticsSpanning five centuries and several continents in a sweeping portrait of addiction, The Pursuit of Oblivion traces the history of the use and abuse of narcotics, revealing their subtle transformation from untested medicines to sources of idle pleasure and, relatively recently, to illegal substances. Richard Davenport-Hines, an eminent, prize-winning historian, uncovers the centrality of drug abuse in our modern industrial society, from the drug habits of Charles Dickens and John F. Kennedy to today's $400 billion annual worldwide trade in illicit drugs (the same volume as the oil industry). A vivid portrayal of the people and events that have shaped the history of narcotics, The Pursuit of Oblivion reveals that, contrary to the assumption underlying current drug policies, our need to escape reality and our body's need for physical pleasure are both ineradicable aspects of our humanity, unchangeable by government initiative. |
From inside the book
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Page 9
... society , wearing as it were , their Hyde aspects . ) The world of the gods ; Shangri La ; Middle Earth ; the world through the Looking - Glass . The Mafia ; the Establishment ; the System ; the great con- spiracy of the left ; the ...
... society , wearing as it were , their Hyde aspects . ) The world of the gods ; Shangri La ; Middle Earth ; the world through the Looking - Glass . The Mafia ; the Establishment ; the System ; the great con- spiracy of the left ; the ...
Page 14
... society . The US Opium Exclusion Act of 1909 began diverting drug - users from the more innocuous opium- smoking to the more destructive intravenous use of heroin . The US Harrison Narcotic Act of 1914 provided the model for drug ...
... society . The US Opium Exclusion Act of 1909 began diverting drug - users from the more innocuous opium- smoking to the more destructive intravenous use of heroin . The US Harrison Narcotic Act of 1914 provided the model for drug ...
Page 15
... society required them to play . The American attitudes and policies gen- erated by the Harrison Act were crude and counterproductive . The United States has claimed the leadership of the global anti- drugs wars since 1909 , and its ...
... society required them to play . The American attitudes and policies gen- erated by the Harrison Act were crude and counterproductive . The United States has claimed the leadership of the global anti- drugs wars since 1909 , and its ...
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Contents
Early History | 21 |
Opium during the Enlightenment | 43 |
The Patent Age of New Inventions | 61 |
Nerves Needles and Victorian Doctors | 99 |
Chemistry | 131 |
Degeneration | 152 |
The Dawn of Prohibition | 195 |
Lawbreaking | 226 |
The First Drugs Czar | 344 |
British Drug Scenes | 368 |
Presidential Drugs Wars | 420 |
So Passe | 475 |
Acknowledgements | 497 |
Notes | 499 |
Bibliographic Note | 549 |
553 | |
Other editions - View all
The Pursuit of Oblivion: A Social History of Drugs Richard Peter Treadwell Davenport-Hines No preview available - 2004 |
The Pursuit of Oblivion: A Social History of Drugs Richard Davenport-Hines No preview available - 2012 |
Common terms and phrases
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