What Does Heroin Have To Do With Tuberculosis

One of the original uses for heroin was as a cough suppressant this was felt to be most superior of suppressants for treating incurable coughs like those of patients with tuberculosis. One of the extreme symptoms and main symptom of tuberculosis is a debilitating cough. During the 1800s a common name for a person afflicted with tuberculosis was lunger, this was because of the constant hacking cough that could even produce blood to be coughed up.

Treatment for tuberculosis patients using heroin did not cure the patient, however it did make him more comfortable as coughing was a torturous pain and a symptom of tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis was a disease is incurable, painful and affected people from all walks of life, one of these people was made famous from his actions in the old West, the man known as Doc Holliday made famous during the shootout at the OK corral had contracted tuberculosis. Prior to his fame as a gambler and an expert gun fighter, he was a dentist and this is where he contracted tuberculosis.

Another use of heroin a medical profession is that it was used to combat opium addictions and morphine addiction. This was until it was realized by medical professionals that heroin was far more addicting than the properties of morphine.

Even in the early 1900s heroin was in use to suppress coughs and in December 1914 the United States Congress passed Harrison narcotics act, this act made illegal to possess controlled substances of medicinal opium, morphine, cocaine and heroin. This act also called for phasing out the preparation and distributing of these medicinal opium products.