History of Heroin

How Was Heroin Originally Used?

Understanding the reasons why heroin was used in the past may be surprising to some. In the past, heroin was used for pain relief and to treat some mental health disorders. Those residing in Europe used morphine to help treat insomnia, coughs, and conditions such as pneumonia. It was not uncommon for mothers to give their upset babies morphine for soothing purposes, though this often led to their untimely death. (2) Morphine was used heavily during the civil war, mostly to aid with amputations. This led to many addictions and even overdoses during this time. Today, 13,165 individuals died of a heroin related overdose in 2020. (3)

The Historical Use of Opium & the Poppy Plant

For centuries, people harvested opium for various uses. Opium is found in the sap of the opium poppy plant. 3400 BCE is the earliest reference of opium, which was also in Mesopotamia. (4) Individuals at this time referred to it as the “joy plant”. (5) As knowledge of its abilities grew, opium use began to spread along the silk roads and eventually made its way to China, where the opium wars began. (6) The opium wars were a series of wars between China and Europe regarding the trafficking of opium. During this time, opium was primarily used to aid with sleep, bowel movements, and poisonings. Today, opium is grown throughout Latin America, Mexico, Columbia. (7)

Who Invented Heroin?

Though opium has been used for thousands of years, heroin use did not occur until 1874. Though heroin comes from a natural plant, it needs to be chemically altered to become what it is known as today. A chemist named Charles Romley Adler Wright was the first person on record to accomplish this. (8) Wright is credited as the individual who invented heroin. The discovery of heroin was done by mixing morphine with different acids. After this, Wright boiled the substance, leading to his discovery.

Discovery & Production of Morphine From Opium

Heroin is produced from morphine. Morphine is a natural substance that can be found in poppy plants. (9) A resin is extracted from the plants, then the impurities are removed. The production of heroin from morphine is known as acetylation. Acetylation makes heroin more dangerous than morphine due to the effects that it has on the body.

Medicinal Uses of Heroin in the 1900s

A pharmaceutical company, known as Bayer, marketed morphine as a cough syrup and pain reliever in the late 1800s. Heroin was marketed as not addictive during this time.  It was used to help treat illnesses such as tuberculosis, bronchitis, and other cough related conditions. (10) Bayer stopped selling morphine in 1918 as more information regarding its addictive properties were understood.

Heroin as a Substitute for Morphine Addiction

In 1906, Heroin was approved by the American Medical Association for use as a replacement for morphine. Doctors and others at this time did not believe heroin to be as addictive as morphine. During this time, addiction to morphine was becoming a public health crisis. (11)