Opium Eating: An Autobiographical Sketch by an Habituate

"Civil War Era Medicine: Opium Eating: An Autobiographical Sketch by an Habituate" is by an anonymous Northern Civil War soldier who became hooked on opium as a result of his wartime service.

During the American Civil War, a fair number of soldiers became addicted to opium either in its raw powder form or as a liquid morphine. At the time, the addicting power of opium-based drugs was not known or often was underestimated. Most addictions were due to trying to alleviate the pain of wounds and/or amputation operations. But many were also due to the medical theory of the time that "loose bowels" and stomach pain from poor food were also cured by doses of opium. Many Northern prisoners of war returned with digestive problems as a result of poor food, lack of food, or Dysentery caused by poor sanitation.

Such a one was the anonymous author of this book who spent 18 months in Southern prisons, especially the notorious Andersonville. When he returned home, he became addicted to opium in an effort to treat his digestive problems. His description of his plight and his attempts to free himself of addiction is one of the earliest literary effort in drug literature.

This e-book of 34,150+ words and approximately 113+ pages at 300 words per page, is very scarce in its original binding. It is offered here in an inexpensive e-book edition for those interested in medicine/medical practices of the Civil War era.

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