Heinrich Dreser (1860–1924)
For the German F. Bayer & Company, the world’s first pharmaceutical powerhouse, 1898 and 1899 were outstanding years. In those years, head of pharmacology Heinrich Dreser launched aspirin, which for many decades was the most widely used drug in the world. Heroin (from the German heroisch or “heroic”) also appeared as a cough suppressant and a purported nonaddicting substitute for morphine that could cure morphine addiction. At this time, tuberculosis and pneumonia were leading causes of death, and the market for a drug to calm a cough was significant.
Heroin sales were impressive, but within a year or two, the first reports of heroin addiction began appearing. Unbeknownst to Bayer, heroin (diacetylmorphine) is rapidly broken down into morphine when taken by mouth, and the acetyl derivative of morphine promotes its rapid entry into the brain. In 1924, the manufacture, distribution, and sale of heroin were banned in the United States, but not in the United Kingdom, where diamorphine continues to be used legally, by injection, for the relief of severe pain. Moreover, in select European cities, heroin can be prescribed for the treatment of heroin addicts. (In the United States, methadone and buprenorphine are primary substitutes.)
Heroin is synthesized from morphine, which is isolated from the opium poppy. Considered the opioid most subject to abuse, heroin can be injected, smoked, or snorted. Users report an initial short-lived euphoria or “rush,” followed by a period of tranquility, which may persist for several hours. Repeated use leads to the development of tolerance, necessitating the use of higher doses, and physical dependence, as evidenced by withdrawal effects when its use is reduced or stopped. Overdose can result in death from respiratory failure.
Heroin use has been well publicized among musicians and was reportedly a factor in the deaths of Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, and Sid Vicious. Users have included Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Lou Reed (who wrote the song “Heroin,” sung by The Velvet Underground, in 1964), David Bowie, and Jerry Garcia.
SEE ALSO Opium (c. 2500 BCE), Morphine (1806), Aspirin (1899), Methadone (1947), Opioids (1973), OxyContin (1996).
Heroin, initially introduced as a safer substitute for morphine, soon became synonymous with the most negative aspects of drug addiction and has long been judged among the most dangerous drugs to both the user and society. Here a woman is preparing her heroin for a syringe to keep up with her addiction.