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Suicides by opium and its derivatives, in England and Wales, 1850—1950

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Michael J. Clarke*
Affiliation:
Faculty of History, University of Oxford
*
1Address for correspondence: Mr M. J. Clarke, Exeter College, Oxford OX1 3DP.

Synopsis

In the mid-nineteenth century opium and its derivatives, such as laudanum and morphine, were the most common poisons in suicides in England and Wales. With legislative restrictions on these ‘dangerous drugs’ such a use declined. This study attempts to show this trend and indicates the large variety of these opium-related suicides.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1985

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