From Legal Remedy to Illegal Drug

Opium in 19^th Century France

Abstract

　Opium, known since ancient times as a powerful analgesic, became popular in Europeparticularly after the advent of Sydenham’s laudanum. By the nineteenth century,however, the European medical world considered it to be a dangerous drug. This paperaims to clarify by a socio-historical study this epistemological transformation processconcerning opium: from a magical remedy to an illegal drug. Three stages could beobserved in the regulation of the substance. The first problem of opium use was simplythe substance’s toxicity, which would be harmful to a person’s health or life. Secondly,addiction was considered to be damaging to society, that is, the long-term use of thisdrug would cause lethargy, resulting therefore in lower productivity from the work force.And thirdly, opium use was defined as a vice, which was caused by the psychologicalweakness of the addict himself. As a result, the opium addict has two faces: sick patient,and social deviant. French law has regulated opium selling since 1845, much earlier thanin England. But in fact, “opium-eaters” were few in number in France, where the drugwas an imported article. It was preventive policies proposed by disciples of public healththat enabled the regulation of this drug. Encouraged by the remarkable sanitary reformof that period, French hygienists, Fleury, Fonssagrives, Tardieu and others, regardedopium use as pathologic behavior or as inimical to social progress. In conclusion,future-directed thinking is a tacit condition of the bio-social norm’s function which iscalled normalization today.