The History of Morphine
Opiates have been used as pain killers since Byzantine times but Morphine its self was only discovered in 1842. It was discovered by a man named Friedrich Sertürner. At first Morphine was marketed as an analgesic and as a treatment for alcohol and opium addiction, it was quickly realized that morphine was more addictive than both of those substances. Morphine saw heavy use during the civil war creating many soldiers with addictions dubbed "Soldiers Disease". Morphine became a controlled substance in 1914 and in 1925 the structural formula was determined. In 1952 Dr. Marshall D Gates patented and announced his process of synthesizing morphine from petroleum products. In 2003 endogenous Morphine was found naturally occurring in the human body.
Site Created by Miles Loftin
Chemical Compound Project
Chemical Compound Project