The Addict and addiction: From victorian doctors to eugenic psychiatrists Hooked On History

This episode discusses the early medical history of the addict as an identity and addiction as a diagnosis. Demonstrating how ideas around degeneration and eugenics were influential in the early development the 'addict'. In doing so, we will also explore the origins of the liberal 'British System' of drug control and why it diverged so heavily from the USA's policy of criminalisation.