Editorial Reviews
Review
"Joseph F. Spillane has written an immaculate monograph on the drug's early history in the United States of America. His use of archives and diverse other sources means that he writes with unparalleled authority."--Richard Davenport-Hines, Times Literary Supplement
"A new, detailed history, carefully crafted, and with reader-friendly summaries."--John C. Burnham, Journal of Social History
"This is a good piece of work, combining cogent ideas with a rich historical narrative. It is an important book for anyone interested in the complicated, interesting history of American drug use and control."--Jerome L. Himmelstein, American Historical Review
"Spillane's account... is nuanced, deeply researched, and highly original."--David T. Courtwright, Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences
"This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the country's current 'War on Drugs.'"-- Virginia Quarterly Review
"A fascinating, in-depth snapshot of 40 years in the early history of cocaine in the U.S."-- Choice
"Spillane provides an excellent account. A deeply impressive social history."--Philip Jenkins, Journal of American History
"This book provides a remarkably well-researched account... an outstanding contribution to drugs history."--Griffith Edwards, Addiction
"A new, detailed history, carefully crafted and with reader-friendly summaries."--John C. Burnham, Journal of Social History
Book Description
A "second generation" of medical and scientific studies has significantly advanced our knowledge of the postnatal consequences of fetal exposure to cocaine. Experiments involving both animals and humans have yielded a striking convergence of findings, indicating that higher levels of cocaine exposure alters programs for brain development in ways that may be associated with lasting changes in brain structure, neuronal function, and behavior. The "crack baby syndrome," in other words, is real, but the effects are more subtle than was previously thought.
In Cocaine: Effects on the Developing Brain John A. Harvey and Barry E. Kosofsky bring together a distinguished group of authorities to present a summary of these new findings. While stressing that no single factor independently determines a particular behavioral outcome, the authors present evidence that indicates a clear association of prenatal cocaine exposure with abnormalities ranging from such measurable physical attributes as decreased head size to more subtle behavioral deficits such as modulating attention, impulsivity, and responsiveness.
At a time when studies indicate that as many as 221,000 women use an illicit drug at least once during pregnancy, the authors set as a high priority ways of identifying which children and infants are at risk and what kinds of interventions are appropriate. General topics include maternal-fetal effects; postnatal effects; developmental mechanisms; functional deficits; longitudinal studies in humans; and public policy.
Challenging "traditional thinking about both the 'rise' and 'fall' of drug problems" (which makes legal prohibition the pivotal point in the story), Cocaine: From Medical Marvel to Modern Menace in the United States, 1884--1920 examines phenomena that have eluded earlier students of drug history. Joseph Spillane explores the role of American business in fostering consumer interest in cocaine during the years when no law proscribed its use, the ways in which authorities and social agents tried nonetheless to establish informal controls on the substance, and the mixed results they achieved.
Cocaine : From Medical Marvel to Modern Menace in the United States, 1884-1920 (Studies in Industry and Society, #18)
Cocaine : From Medical Marvel to Modern Menace in the United States, 1884-1920 (Studies in Industry and Society, #18),Barry E. Kosofsky,The Johns Hopkins University Press,0801862302,Cocaine,Cocaine abuse,Cocaine industry,Drug Abuse,History,History: American,Pop Arts / Pop Culture,Popular Culture - General,Social Science,Sociology - General,Substance Abuse & Addictions - General,United States,History / United States / General
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