Between Morpheus and Mary: The Public Debate on Morphine in Dutch Newspapers, 1880-1939

This dissertation focuses on the development of the Dutch public debate on morphine between 1880 and 1939. Around 1900 morphine was known on the one hand as a medical ‘Morpheus’: an important painkiller. On the other, people knew the substance as ‘Mary’, a street drug used and sold nonmedically. Between 1900 and 1939 concern about the nonmedical use of narcotics greatly increased. Using an analysis of Dutch digitized newspapers, I show how morphine kept its medical reputation during this time. First, morphine’s historical reputation safeguarded its medical status in the Dutch public debate. Be... Mehr ...