History
Who Are These Troublesome Doctors? British Doctors and the Addiction Crisis, 1960-1970
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Subject Area
History & Classics
Start Date
13-4-2018 11:15 AM
End Date
13-4-2018 11:45 AM
Sponsor
Amy Whipple (Xavier University)
Description
From 1960 to 1970, Great Britain saw a gradual rise in the number of individuals who were addicted to heroin. This crisis prompted the Ministry of Health to review their drug policy and learn how they could "maintain" this situation effectively. The populace during this period, articulated in Dr. Alex Mold’s book, "Heroin", witnessed the medical profession comport itself around this crisis. This lead to changes in the way addiction was perceived and treated within the clinical and political sphere. The information provided in this paper aims to elaborate upon Dr. Mold’s account by introducing stories printed in British newspapers during this period mainly about “troublesome doctors”. This term is borrowed from Dr. Mold’s book and refers to doctors who were either continuously prescribing drugs to patients with addiction or were addicts themselves. This paper examines articles from the Daily Express and the Daily Mirror which detailed special cases in which these troublesome doctors were charged as addicts and the consequences of their crimes.
Who Are These Troublesome Doctors? British Doctors and the Addiction Crisis, 1960-1970
Indianapolis, IN
From 1960 to 1970, Great Britain saw a gradual rise in the number of individuals who were addicted to heroin. This crisis prompted the Ministry of Health to review their drug policy and learn how they could "maintain" this situation effectively. The populace during this period, articulated in Dr. Alex Mold’s book, "Heroin", witnessed the medical profession comport itself around this crisis. This lead to changes in the way addiction was perceived and treated within the clinical and political sphere. The information provided in this paper aims to elaborate upon Dr. Mold’s account by introducing stories printed in British newspapers during this period mainly about “troublesome doctors”. This term is borrowed from Dr. Mold’s book and refers to doctors who were either continuously prescribing drugs to patients with addiction or were addicts themselves. This paper examines articles from the Daily Express and the Daily Mirror which detailed special cases in which these troublesome doctors were charged as addicts and the consequences of their crimes.