The Cocaine Craze in Victorian Britain

The Cocaine Craze in Victorian Britain

Many things may come to mind when you hear the word 'cocaine' - and we'd wager that the last thing on that list would be the Victorians. But as it turns out, the Victorians were avid cocaine users, whether it be to remedy ailments and injuries, give them an edge in competitive sports or simply put a bit of pep in their step. A hundred years later, it is amongst the most criminalised substances on earth.


Dr Douglas Small is a historian of medicine and author of Cocaine, Literature, and Culture, 1876-1930. He joins us today to take us through the deeper history of cocaine and explain how it went from a central feature of Incan cultural life to the defining party drug of the modern day.


Produced by James Hickmann, and edited by Dougal Patmore and Max Carrey.


Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.


We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.


You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaksot(1486)

In Conversation with Sir David Attenborough

In Conversation with Sir David Attenborough

Sir David Attenborough is an English veteran broadcaster and naturalist. He is best known for writing and presenting the nine Life series, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, which colle...

8 Loka 202037min

Ireland's Great Famine: Counterpoint

Ireland's Great Famine: Counterpoint

Christine Kinealy joined me on this podcast to discuss the British government’s adverse policies during the Great Famine, and the effects these had on the Irish people.Subscribe to History Hit and you...

7 Loka 202019min

A President Incapacitated: Woodrow Wilson's Stroke

A President Incapacitated: Woodrow Wilson's Stroke

101 years ago this week, President Woodrow Wilson suffered a serious stroke which left him prone to "disorders of emotion, impaired impulse control, and defective judgment." As President Trump confron...

6 Loka 202023min

Asylum on Saint Helena

Asylum on Saint Helena

Annina Van Neel showed me around Saint Helena, a small scrap of land in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. This island is the most significant physical trace of the Transatlantic slave trade middle pas...

5 Loka 202012min

War with Margaret MacMillan

War with Margaret MacMillan

Margaret MacMillan joined me on the podcast to discuss the ways in which war has influenced human society. We discussed how, in turn, changes in political organisation, technology, or ideologies have ...

4 Loka 202023min

MI9: The Secret Service for Escape and Evasion

MI9: The Secret Service for Escape and Evasion

Helen Fry joined me on the podcast to talk about the thrilling history of MI9. The WWII organisation engineered the escape of Allied forces from behind enemy lines. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pr...

3 Loka 202019min

How Steam Power Remade the World

How Steam Power Remade the World

John Darwin joined me on the podcast to discuss how steam power reshaped our cities and our seas, and forged a new world order.Subscribe to History Hit and you'll get access to hundreds of history doc...

2 Loka 202023min

The Hunt For The Killers Of Julius Caesar

The Hunt For The Killers Of Julius Caesar

Peter Stothard joined me on the podcast to discuss the assassination of Julius Caesar. Many men killed Julius Caesar. Only one man was determined to kill the killers. From the spring of 44 BC through ...

1 Loka 202023min

Suosittua kategoriassa Historia

olipa-kerran-otsikko
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
mayday-fi
huijarit
mystista
totuus-vai-salaliitto
tsunami
rss-ikiuni
konginkangas
rss-subjektiivinen-todistaja
rouva-diktaattori
rss-i-dont-like-mondays-2
sotaa-ja-historiaa-podi
rss-peter-peter
tiedetta-ja-sirkushuveja-vanhojen-aikojen-podcast
rss-kirkon-ihmeellisimmat-tarinat
rss-sattuu-sita-suomessakin
maailmanpuu
rss-kalmakabinetti