The “Infernal Chemistry” of the 19th Century.The Opiates between the “Witchcraft Paradigm” and the Development of Modern Toxicology
The “Infernal Chemistry” of the 19th Century.The Opiates between the “Witchcraft Paradigm” and the Development of Modern Toxicology

Summary/Abstract: During the 19th century, in the absence of a legal interdiction and of scientific research on its effects, drug use acquired a multileveled mental representation of its positive and negative aspects. My study focuses on the change which took place during that period regarding the representation of drugs, from a mysterious, dangerous chemistry (what we call “the paradigm of witchcraft” and magic) to a scientific vision, through the birth and development of toxicology. The first section of the article deals with the evolution of the literary/cultural and social representations of poisons and drugs (opiates in particular), in parallel with the scientific developments. The main subject of discussion is the inheritance of a certain imagery regarding drugs, the „obsession” of finding a panacea in both paradigms, as well as the association of opium to a miraculous remedy and then to a „demonic” substance. The second section deals with the ambivalent relation of the modern artist to the drug, which is due to the perception of opiates as both a way of access to Paradise, and as a diabolic attraction.

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