Abstract
History is checkered with debates about social utilization of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, opiates, chloroform, methadone—even ether. Physicians have contributed to most debates, along with politicians, moralists, economists, and clerics. Illustrative conflicts in America included Prohibition in the 1920s and disagreements about the use of marihuana and hallucinogens in the 1970s. Less well-known was the debate which reverberated around tea during our colonial period. This is unfortunate, since tea was pivotal in promulgating the Revolution. In 1770, tea consumption in the colonies was an entrenched tradition. At least 1 million colonists were daily consumers of tea, the nectar of the gods. 1(p32) One reporter touring the colonies remarked that American women were such slaves to it that they would rather go without their dinners than without a dish of tea. 2(p343) A Swedish scientist, Per Kalm, toured North America and concluded that there was hardly a farmer's wife or a
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
