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.

Avsnitt(1492)

Tragedy at the Scottish Crannog Centre

Tragedy at the Scottish Crannog Centre

From the Neolithic period to the early 18th century Crannogs were a feature of Scottish, Welsh and Irish lakes and estuaries enabling a unique way of life. These unusual dwellings consisted of an arti...

21 Juni 202121min

Black American Struggle: Riot or Revolution?

Black American Struggle: Riot or Revolution?

The 1960s and early 1970s saw civil unrest and violence in the United States on a scale not seen since the civil war between black residents and the police but was this simply rioting or a revolution?...

20 Juni 202123min

Mary, Queen of Scots

Mary, Queen of Scots

Mary, Queen of Scots, returned to the news headlines when the rosary she carried to her execution in 1587, was recently stolen from Arundel Castle. It's the latest chapter in the enduring story of thi...

19 Juni 202150min

Voices of Waterloo

Voices of Waterloo

206 years ago today, 60,000 men were slaughtered in the Battle of Waterloo. Napoleon Bonaparte's French army was finally defeated by an almighty coalition of troops from the United Kingdom, the Nether...

18 Juni 202142min

Churchill's Daughters: The Privilege and the Pain

Churchill's Daughters: The Privilege and the Pain

Winston Churchill's daughters Diana, Sarah, Marigold and Mary are often overshadowed by their father's extraordinary fame but they also lived fascinating lives and were often present at many of the se...

17 Juni 202123min

The Curious History of Postcards

The Curious History of Postcards

For many people sending a postcard is an enjoyable part of any seaside trip but rather than just being a novelty they were once a vital form of communication and often the quickest way to contact your...

16 Juni 202120min

Everything You Need to Know about the Anglo-Saxons

Everything You Need to Know about the Anglo-Saxons

The Anglo-Saxon period is vital for the formation of England and the UK as we know it but is a difficult era to fully understand. The departure of the Romans left a power vacuum that was filled by war...

15 Juni 202136min

The Heiress, the Kidnap, and the Making of London

The Heiress, the Kidnap, and the Making of London

After the Great Plague of 1665 and the Great Fire of London in 1666 London was on its knees with its population decimated and the heart of the city burnt out, but from the ashes, it would rise phoenix...

14 Juni 202130min

Populärt inom Historia

motiv
kod-katastrof
massmordarpodden
historiska-brott
p3-historia
olosta-mord
historiepodden-se
rss-brottsligt
rss-massmordarpodden
historianu-med-urban-lindstedt
rss-seriemordarpodden
konspirationsteorier
palmemordet
militarhistoriepodden
rss-arkiv-stieg
krigshistoriepodden
nu-blir-det-historia
rss-historien-om
harrisons-dramatiska-historia
bedragare