1804–1898Reputable source · 2 sourcesWell documented
Morphine, Heroin and the Alkaloid Revolution
On the timeline · around 1804–1898 ·
What happened
In 1804 the pharmacist Friedrich Sertürner isolated morphine from opium — the first alkaloid ever extracted from a plant, and far stronger than opium itself. Decades later, in 1898, Bayer marketed heroin as a supposedly non-addictive cough remedy and 'safe' morphine substitute.
Why it matters
Purifying and synthesizing drugs made them dramatically more potent — and more dangerous. Heroin's disastrous debut foreshadowed a century of pharmaceutical addiction.
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica. Heroin · Reputable source
- Encyclopaedia Britannica. Opium · Reputable source
Related timelines
- Medicine → — The first plant alkaloid isolated