The Impact of Opium Use in Nineteenth-Century England :: European Europe History

The Impact of Opium Use in Nineteenth-Century England IntroductionEvidence from coeval red-hotspapers and other sources suggest that by the mid nineteenth-century England was beginning to existingize the discernment of its opium problem. Opium had been introduced by the Arabs around the sixteenth-century, England began to seriously alternate it around the late seventeenth- century. face citizens, by this time, through its exploits, were exploitation the dose for medical reasons. However, most of these new cures all used opium in some form. No matter in which, form it was used, opium had only if one effect. It gave a feeling of euphoria. From the opium pill to the affix or its alkaloids it was a highly addictive drug, a new drug free from government constrains and open to public sale. In the early historic period opium was merely another piece of cargo to be traded. The Beginnings of The Problem Opium had beginning arrived in London as a new medicinal trade product. It was new, compact, easily transported, and non-perishable. Trade with China proved very profitable and flourished for more than than twenty years uninterrupted, until in 1835 China passed its first laws prohibiting the importation of opium (1). In the years following this prohibition, England responded simply by shifting the drop off-key points to other ports in China. China resisted these efforts, by England, to continue trade and began attack their ships. These acts were seen as aggressive in the eyes of the English and the first opium state of war resulted. The war ended with the treaty of Nanking, which ceded China to Britain. The second opium war amidst 1856 and 1858 ended with the treaty of Tientsin (2). These two wars were prime examples of commercial imperialism, not only through the opening of treaty ports but through British inhibit of Chinese customs which the 1842 treaty established, and continuing opium trade without restraint (3). entirely these acts on the part of Br itish and the Chinese prove that there was real awareness of the depth of the opium problem. Medicinal Uses During the years between and after twain opium wars, England was developing more uses for opium. There were opium smears, pills, cough drops, lozenges, troches, and scores of other the applications. Opium could be bought alongside food and spirits. Usually the opium was originally bought for some kind of ailment, and consequently the addiction would begin. One physician noted that he prescribed an opium plaster to a young girl, and discovered that three weeks later she was still using it (4).