This book about historical figures’ drug use is an intoxicating must-read
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Humans have been using drugs since the beginning of recorded time, and historian Sam Kelly can prove it.
In his book “Human History on Drugs,” Kelly provides an “utterly scandalous but entirely truthful look at history under the influence,” as the book cover states. Since it came out last July, it has been one of my favorite reads not only because the subject matter is fascinating but also because the format makes it a noncommittal nightstand staple.
Kelly explores prominent figures throughout history – from Alexander the Great and Marcus Aurelius to Queen Victoria, Elvis Presley and Steve Jobs – and their relationship with substance use and abuse. Each one is spotlighted in a concise yet engaging story that typically lasts a couple of pages. You can pick up the book sparingly or jump around the various chapters without feeling like you’ve missed anything.
Ultimately, “Human History on Drugs” is a piece of entertainment that you can tune out and drop into for a few minutes when you’re in need of a lighthearted distraction. Plus, the stories will make you rethink everything you learned in history class.
Kelly was initially inspired to dig into the ways history’s tastemakers used drugs while discussing Sigmund Freud in his first college psychology class. He recalls the lecture turned to how, despite shaping the field, some of Freud’s beliefs are no longer accepted in mainstream psychology.
“Some of his stuff is pretty odd,” Kelly said in an interview. Admittedly, it piqued his interest, so Kelly dug into some of Freud’s lesser-known work. He found “Über Coca,” written in 1884, in which Freud advocates for cocaine as a miracle drug and explores the myriad ways humans could benefit from using it.
“I couldn’t help but think, whoa, this is a fascinating thing that Freud is really into cocaine. How into it is he? It turns out that for like 12 years, almost day in and day out, the guy is doing tons of cocaine,” Kelly said.
It made him wonder where else in history class he may not have gotten the full story. Kelly, who is autistic, spent seven years poring over records and historical texts in hopes he could paint a more complete picture. After all, it’s likely that people’s state of mind, however altered, influenced what they did and the decisions they made.
“All you have to do is pull on threads, follow some rabbit holes and it is amazing how many things you will find, even about people who are well known. Certain parts of these people’s stories don’t get told very often,” Kelly said. “It became clear to me that there were a bunch of different major historical figures whose substance use is very pertinent, and a lot of mainstream accounts will bat it away like it’s not interesting.”
Take, for example, Pope Leo XIII, one of the longest-serving popes and one of the most prolific, writing about 90 encyclicals during his tenure. Scholars have always marveled at Pope Leo XIII’s output, Kelly said.
But the pope may have had help from one of his favorite beverages: Vin Mariani, a wine laced with cocaine.
“In fact, he loved cocaine wine so much that he decided that he needed to honor the man who invented it. He summoned winemaker Angelo Mariani to Rome and presented him with an official Vatican gold medal for his remarkable achievement in the field of cocaine vitnery,” Kelly writes. The book features a print advertisement in which the pope endorses the product.
Though cocaine, which was legal in the 19th century, was the vice of many in the book, many other substances make an appearance, including cannabis, amphetamines, alcohol, acid, painkillers and even yellow paint. Chapters include “Queen Victoria was the biggest drug dealer of all time,” “Elvis Presley was a narc,” and “Andrew Johnson was a blackout drunk.”
Kelly believes a book like this hasn’t been written before because people weren’t ready to hear the truth – as though acknowledging these famous people’s complete life experiences would be besmirching their legacies. But Kelly doesn’t think so, and I don’t either. Perhaps it helps make more sense of history’s complex personalities, and explains why “Richard Nixon wanted to nuke everyone” and “Friedrich Nietzsche thought he was Jesus,” as two other chapters explore.
The book also shines a prominent light on how attitudes toward certain drugs have changed over time by showing when and where they were embraced. It’s a long, strange trip, I promise you that.
“Human History on Drugs” is available for purchase online via Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Kelly also features snippets from the book on his TikTok page (@Human_History_On_Durgs) and Instagram (@Human_History_On_Drugs).