Publications
APS Bulletin • Volume 15, Number 3, Summer 2005
Resource Reviews
John D. Loeser, MD, Department Editor
Opium. A Portrait of the Heavenly Demon
Reviewed by John D. Loeser, MD
Barbara Hodgson. Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1999, 152 pages, $22.95 (hard cover), ISBN 0-8118-2411-X. Order at www.chroniclebooks.com, or call 800/722-6657.
This lovely little book is replete with antique illustrations of the recreational use of opium in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It does not address the medicinal use of opium and its derivatives, but focuses on the commercial trade and smoking of opium in the Orient and its subsequent spread to Europe and North America. The opium den as a social institution receives the most attention. The author has done a splendid job capturing the social and emotional aspects of the opium experience. Those who are interested in opiates in the broadest sense will find this book a treasure and delight to hold in their hands.
Dr. Loeser is professor of neurological surgery and anesthesiology at the University of Washington, Seattle.
Reviewer content represents the opinion of the reviewer, not APS.
Please direct your suggestions for future Resource Reviews to John D. Loeser, MD, Department Editor, at jdloeser@u.washington.edu