Talk:heroin

Extended Etymology

In fact, the name "Heroin" is a reference to the "heroic" school of allopathic medicine, a philosophy of treatment which emerged in the 19th century espousing radical medical interventions intended to produced marked changes in presenting symptoms. At the time of Heroin's introduction (1898), "heroic medicine" was actively promoted as an allopathic (or "scientific medicine," as distinct from various competing schools of treatment, e.g., Homeopathic, Empiric, &c.) orthodoxy. By naming their new drug Heroin, Bayer hoped it would be incorporated into the allopathic pharmacopoeia by the leading doctors in the field, who espoused the heroic approach to treatment (the same doctors who had earlier promoted the use of morphine with enthusiasm). See Aurin, Marcus, "Chasing the Dragon: The Cultural Metamorphosis of Opium in the United States, 1825-1935," Medical Anthropology Quarterly: 414-441. — This unsigned comment was added by Marquemarc (talk • contribs).

Added to entry. – Jberkel 11:36, 22 February 2018 (UTC)