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HistoryExtra podcast - Cocaine: a Victorian sensation
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Cocaine: a Victorian sensation

HistoryExtra podcast

10/28/24

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35m

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In a much-publicised race in the 1870s, the most celebrated athlete of his day, the long-distance pedestrian Edward P Weston, admitted that he had chewed coca leaves, sparking a frenzy of interest in the substance and its derivative, cocaine. For the next few decades, cocaine became a household ingredient in many products, and was perfectly legal. It wasn't until the early years of the 20th century that concerns began to be voiced about its dangerous addictiveness. Dr Douglas Small explains how cocaine won over the Victorians in this conversation with David Musgrove.

(Ad) Douglas Small is the author of Cocaine, Literature, and Culture, 1876-1930 (Bloomsbury Academic, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Literature-1876-1930-Critical-Interventions-Humanities/dp/1350400092/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty.

Here, Mike Jay reveals how scientists and thinkers experimented with drugs in the 19th century:https://link.chtbl.com/5-2SlN03.

The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.

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Previous Episode

Was the medieval Church really anti-science? Why did one monk hurl himself from an the roof of his abbey tower in the name of experimentation? And what were the high-tech gadgets of the Middle Ages? Speaking to Emily Briffett, Seb Falk answers your questions on the often misunderstood realm of medieval science, highlighting the significant contributions made through scientific collaboration – from alchemy and astronomy, to optics and horology.

Elma Brenner answers all your questions on medieval medicine: https://link.chtbl.com/SDRmhrgt.

The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.

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Next Episode

Was the moon landing faked? Did Shakespeare actually pen the works he’s credited with? And were the pyramids really built by aliens? In History's Greatest Conspiracy Theories, the new podcast from HistoryExtra, Rob Attar takes a deep dive into the some of history’s most compelling conspiracy theories in the company of expert historians to uncover if there's any truth behind these murky myths.

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3Ap2seB

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ZN5NPAHC9oG0JlHl6V1aK

Listen everywhere else by searching: History's Greatest Conspiracy Theories

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