Books about sigmund freud biography cocaine

I was first introduced to Sigmund Freud as a teenager, and, as most of his theories seemed to revolve around sex and inhibition (joyfully celebrated in song by Melanie Safka), I wholeheartedly embraced his ideas. It was some years later that someone commented to me, "Well, you know he got half of Vienna hooked on cocaine, right?" Well, no, I didn't, and after reading this book I'm still not convinced that's an accurate assessment.

This book explores the history of cocaine as a medicinal aid through the addictions of Freud and William Halsted, a brilliant and promising surgeon. Both men, dedicated physicians, were seduced by the drug's mood- and energy-enhancing properties, as well as its anaesthetic potential. Their slide into the abyss was subtle, occurring in an era of unrestricted medical experimentation, and in which addiction was not yet a recognized illness. Their careers w