Characteristics and Sequelae of Paregoric Abuse
Authors: A. MARTIN LERNER
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1966)

Article1 November 1966Characteristics and Sequelae of Paregoric AbuseA. MARTIN LERNER, M.D., F.A.C.P., FREDERICK J. OERTHER, M.D.A. MARTIN LERNER, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this author, FREDERICK J. OERTHER, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-65-5-1019 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptIn 1955, records of the Narcotics Bureau in Detroit showed that no one among 1,267 persons arrested for the illicit use of drugs abused paregoric. During the next 8 years paregoric was used increasingly in Detroit as an opium or heroin substitute. At the zenith (1963) of its use as a narcotic in this period, paregoric claimed 713 of 994 narcotics users. Since at present this medical oddity is again virtually extinct, this report is largely a historical resumé of an unusual, and hopefully singular, experience.MEDICAL USE OF PAREGORICIn the early eighteenth century LeMort, the chemistry profesor at...References1. GOODMANGILMAN LSA: The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 3rd ed. The Macmillan Co., New York, 1965, pp. 247-284. Google Scholar2. LEWISZINBERC DCNE: Narcotic usage. II. A historical perspective on a difficult medical problem. New Eng. J. Med. 270: 1045, 1964. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. DEKE AL: H.M. Chief Inspector, Dangerous Drugs, London, England—June 5, 1964 (personal communication). Google Scholar4. : Remarks of Douglas Dillon, Secretary of Treasury, at White House Conference on Narcotic and Drug Abuse, Washington, D. C., September 27, 1962. U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1962. Google Scholar5. CURRAN WJ: Narcotics, treatment and crime (law and medicine notes). New Eng. J. 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OERTHER, M.D.Affiliations: Detroit, MichiganFrom the Departments of Medicine, Microbiology, and Pathology and the Detroit General Receiving Hospital, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Mich.This work was aided by grant 5 T1 AI 261, the U. S. Public Health Service, Washington, D. C.This manuscript appears in part in the autumn number (1966) of the Bulletin on Narcotics published by the European Office of the United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland.Requests for reprints should be addressed to A. Martin Lerner, M.D., Wayne State University School of Medicine, 1400 Chrysler, Detroit, Mich. 48207. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byOpiates and OpioidsAbscesses secondary to parenteral abuse of drugs. A study of demographic and bacteriological characteristics.Pulmonary complications of intravenous drug misuse. 1. 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SZWED, M.D.Fatal talc embolism in a drug addictThe narcotic addict as a medical patientA Review of the Medical Complications of Narcotic AddictionDermatologic Complications of Heroin AddictionThe Medical Sequelae of Narcotic AddictionCHARLES E. CHERUBIN, M.D. 1 November 1966Volume 65, Issue 5Page: 1019-1030KeywordsEndocarditisGranulomasHepatitis A virusHeroinHospital medicineHypertensionMedical servicesMicrobiologyOpiumSepsis ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 November 1966 PDF downloadLoading ...