Deadly Cure

 

Shirley J.              Adult Historical Mystery                          Opioids, Brooklyn, NY, Radical medicines

Deadly Cure by Lawrence Goldstone   336 pages

While this is a fictionalized version of the truth, there are many historical figures and happenings included that perfectly round this fascinating story out.   Snake oil and over the counter access to heroin, opium, cocaine, etc. plummets 1899 Brooklyn, New York into a recurring medical nightmare when children and adults start dying from their medications.   Politically motivated real-life doctor Arnold Frias, has interests in pharmaceuticals that aren't at that time being regulated.   Medical doctors of the time were prescribing laudenum for many ailments but when people begin self-medicating or believing in quack cures that have all sorts of harmful chemical ingredients, even poisonous ingredients, people start dropping like flies.  This book explores the introduction of heroin into society by the German Bayer company, yep, later famous for Bayer aspirin which became a household name and how opioids got introduced.   This is a fascinating story.  I recommend this one to adults as I don't know if the younger set would find it as fascinating as those of us who have seen the power big Pharma has gained and historically how medical quakery and hardcore drugs have played such a big role in society.   A real pageturner here.