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THE HISTORY OF MEDICAL CANNABIS
One of over 600 Pre-1937 Medical Products that the Museum has Documented
1.0 - MEDICAL CANNABIS, A SHORT GRAPHICAL HISTORY
This is a short (graphical) history of Medical Cannabis (the traditional and scientific name for Medical Marihuana), from the Neanderthals to the Reefer Madness era.
This site was created for use mostly by newspaper reporters and others who want a short but well documented history of the subject. As such we have endeavor to (A) keep it short and (B) to document as much as possible for ready reference. Example; we all know that the ancient Assyrians made use of Medical Marihuana, but have you ever seen a clay table that actually says so? You will here.
However, because the idea is to provide the reader with a "short" overall of history, many sections had to be left out. Example, very little is said about Hindu or Mohammedan medicine, NOT because it is not important, but just because it doesn't fit into the time line very well.
If needed the museum can provide more detail/complete pictures in either "jpg or gif" formats.
1.1 - The Neanderthals: --- 40,000 BC:
THE NEANDERTHALS: The thought of having a medicine that was in use long before the first humans had even walked on this planet is interesting indeed; one might say it is the stuff of science fiction writers. But unfortunately, while many web sites "hint" at the possibility, there is no . . .
[MORE]1.2 - Pre-Recorded (Human) History:
PRE-RECORDED (Human) HISTORY: The earliest known surviving Afro-Eurasian medical texts, whether ancient Egyptian papyrus scrolls, Mesopotamian clay tablets, Chinese tables etc. All of them speak of its use in the past tense, as if Cannabis had already been in medical use long before . . .
[MORE]1.3 - Ancient Egypt:
ANCIENT EGYPT: By far the very vast majority of modern day Egyptologists agree that Medical Cannabis (Medical Marihuana) was used by the ancient Egyptians in their medicines. This is in contradiction to what was thought to be the case right up until the early 1930's. . . . [MORE]
1.4 - Mesopotamia + Assyria -- 3,000 BC:
MESOPOTAMIA & ASSYRIA: Without Question the ancient Assyrians (today central Iraq) made use of Medical Cannabis and it is specifically mentioned on clay tablets found at the library of Assurbanipal, an Assyrian ruler, who lived around 650 BC. It along with another 400 other drugs comprised the whole of the Assyrian pharmacopoeia of its day. . . .
[MORE]1.5 - Chinese Herbal -- 2000 BC:
Chinese Herbal: The origin of the Chinese pharmacological book "The Herbal" (also known by various other names) has been lost in history and is now the subject of numerous myths and legends. The most colorful one is that in 2000 BC the Yellow Emperor himself ordered that the sum total of all the other medical works written or known previously before that time be put together into one volume. . .
[MORE]1.6 - Western Medical 50-AD:
Western Medical: If West began with the Roman Empire than medical Cannabis can be said to have been there right from the very beginning. Both Galen (the Roman physician whose textbooks on medicine were used throughout the Middle Ages) and Dioscorides (author of the Greek Herbal 50 AD) made references to its medical usage. . .
[MORE]1.7 - BURN THE WITCH:
BURN THE WITCH: Known by numerous names, "The Women's Holocaust", "The Burning Times", "The Great Witch Hunt", this sad chapter in Western History is only now beginning to get the full attention it deserves. . .
[MORE]1.8 - The New Western Medicine:
The New Western Medicine: The following (bit's and pieces) are taken directly from, "The (English Governments) House of Lords, Select Committee on Science and Technology 9th Report." . . .
[MORE]1.9 - W. B. O'Shaughnessy:
W. B. O'Shaughnessy: On December 29, 1831, O'Shaughnessy sent to The Lancet "one of the shortest and yet most significant letters ever sent to the journal" (Coakley 1992:151), presenting the results of his blood analyses. He showed that "the copious diarrhoea of cholera leads to dehydration . . .
[MORE]1.10 - 1837 - 1937 The Golden Age of Medical Cannabis:
The Golden Age of Medical Cannabis Within a few years would be as common a medical ingredient in medicines as aspirin is today.
It can be said that the 100 years between 1837 and 1937 were truly the "Golden Age of Medical Cannabis." Our sister museum has already been able to document well over 600 pre-1937 medical marihuana products on a brand or trade name basis from this era. . . .
[MORE]1.11 - POST-1937 The Dark Ages (part 2):
The Dark Ages (part 2) Cannabis is unique in one respect; unlike other botanical medicines which were allowed to die a natural death as other better medicines or treatments came along, Cannabis instead was cut down in its prime---literally speaking it was outlawed. . .
[MORE]WANT TO KNOW MORE:
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Due to space / download time considerations, only selected materials are displayed. If you would like to obtain more information, feel free to contact the museum. All our material is available (at cost) on CD-Rom format. Please contact: antique_andy@yahoo.com
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