THE HISTORY OF OPIUM - PART ONE

I covered the earlier years of opium history on an earlier blog. I found it really interesting to research and write about. I always thought that the opium problems were introduced by the Chinese. I was very mistaken. Lets explore some more of the history of Opium.

If you will remember Queen Elizabeth the first ordered her Navy to find the besty opium they could for trade a bit earlier. Then in 1780-1800 The British East India Company works very hard to create a near monopoly on the opium trade in India and China, mostly this is due to its political influence.

It was in 1803 a scientist ,Friedrich Sertuerner, isolates morphine from opium. It was named after Morpheus, the Greek god of sleep.
1821 Thomas DeQuincey publishes Confessions of an English Opium Eater.

1827 The German chemical company E. Merck & Company became the first.
commercial manufacturer of morphine.

1839 All foreign traders are ordered to give up their opium by the Imperial Commissioner of China . The arrival of British send warships is the beginning of the First Opium War. The war went on until 1841 when the Chinese lose the First Opium War; the British take over Hong Kong at this point.

1843 Dr. Alexander Wood invents thehypodermic syringe It has the first hollow needle.

1852 finds that the British are importing opium to Burma.

1856 The Second Opium War is started and ended. At this time, opium becomes legal in China.