Opium Research Paper

Opium soon returned to favor during the renaissance when two physician’s work became very popular in the medical field; the two physicians were eleventh-century Moorish physician Avicenna and second-century Greek physician Galen. Theriac, also known as theriaca, made a return and soon became popular again. Theriac was first created by a Greek king to treat snake bites, but soon became an opium based cure-all for illnesses, from a cough to the Black Plague. A physician to Nero in 15 AD, named Andromachus, added to the original theriac mixture and the new concoction had over seventy ingredients, including an increased amount of opium. Later Galen added more than 30 more ingredients to the mixture. Physicians prescribed theriac for a large amount of illnesses, such as: nosebleeds, melancholy, inflammation, madness, diarrhea, and anything with pain. In later centuries, a look-alike to theriac called “treacle,” was

China soon became a popular trade partner concerning opium. This was due to the riches China possessed like tea, silk, porcelains, and jade. The British began growing opium in India and traded it with China for silver. This silver was then given back to the Chinese as payment for tea, due to the English’s obsession with tea and China would only accept silver as payment. By the early 1800’s, however, China banned opium. The British, cut off from being able to get anymore tea from the Chinese, demanded for the right of free trade and Lin Tse-hau ordered all Chinese traders to empty their opium warehouses and to turn it in. This then caused the Opium Wars. “The Wars for Free Trade,” called by the British, were fought in order to continue the British-Chinese exchange of opium for goods. England and other countries won the wars and England was granted Hong Kong on top of the greater trade rights and right to sell opium to Chinese