Demons: Our changing attitudes to alcohol, tobacco, and drugs

by Virginia Berridge

Tabloid headlines attack the binge drinking of young women. Debates about the classification of cannabis continue, while major public health campaigns seek to reduce and ultimately eliminate smoking through health warnings and legislation. But the history of public health is not a simple one of changing attitudes resulting from increased medical knowledge, though that has played a key role, for instance since the identification of the link between smoking and lungcancer. As Virginia Berridge shows in this fascinating exploration, attitudes to public health, and efforts to change it, have historically been driven by social, cultural, political, and economic and industrial factors, as well as advances in science. They have resulted in different responses todrugs, alcohol, and tobacco at different times, in different parts of the world.Opium dens in London, temperance and prohibition movements, the appearance of new recreational drugs in the 20th century, the changing attitudes to by taking us through such examples, moulded by socio-economic and political forces, including the growing power of pharmaceutical companies, Berridge illuminates current debates. While our medical knowledge has advanced, other factors help shape our responses, as they have done in the past.

302 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Virginia Berridge, FRHistS, HonFRCP, FAcSS is a British academic historian and public health expert. She is a Professor of History and Director of the Centre for History in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Reviews

[Riley]

Interesting book but it cuts into alot of themes regarding drugs and alcohol. This makes the book really hard to read bevause of the overload of (irrelevant) information. The main idea of the book gets lost sometimes because of this information but seeps through when you continue reading the book. Perhaps this is a book you should read twice so you can understand the book better.

[Martijn Krol]

The book has a very interesting subject, and gives intriguing insights into the topic of the historical culture surrounding drugs, alcohol and tobacco since the beginning of modern history. However, the material is incredibly dense and sometimes it feels like you have to plough through many abrieviations, government bills and doctor's names to get to the heart of the matter.

[Ronnie]

Here me out. A very loud HUZZAH AND SHOUT OUT FOR LEOMINSTER PUBLIC LIBRARY for having gotten this book. Berridge does an immense work at elucidating the maelstrom of this confusing amalgam /trinity. It's at times sobering(I agree it's a poor choice of words) depressing and heartbreaking to be brought up to speed on the machinations of Gov'ts & Industry
with regards to the usage of this triumvirate of use. It is enlightening as the author points out the source and redirections of past governmental and health decrees re their usage. At times it's startling at how slow and backwards healthcare has been re their usage. Alcohol....Tobacco...Drugs.....yes they are the Demons of human.....but the enablers of the Demons are the ones who create them.....and sell them.....Licit and illicit drugs......it is head shaking to realize that the legalization of Alcohol after Prohibition occurred as the US GOVT saw an income producer from taxes as a response to the recession. The opposite traveling of Tobacco and Alcohol is dizzyingly informative. The tortuous path of information re licit vs illicit drugs is a real hoot. Sometimes as I was reading this book there were moments of deja vous when I would read articles in newspapers or journals that parroted what had been said in the 20's/30's......I am of the mind that the Tobacco Companies should foot the bill for Cancer treatments....Asthma treatments...all disorders r/t to tobacco use.....I cannot recommend enough of this book. Read it....Shiver....And ponder the inevitable. It is a real horror story......Ronnie