“This strain would send a victorian bachelor to the moon”
My loves, those people were giving laudanum to three month old babies. They were selling cocaine candies for sore throats. We have nothing on them.
Also if you like irascible physicians who enjoy their wine freely and are handy with a sword, can I introduce you to Aelis de Lenti? www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1250...
Oh my goodness, when I start to lose faith in humanity, something like this reminds me that there is still good. Anyone who is an Aubrey/Maturing fan is okay in my book.
The bit where he addicted himself to coke, then weaned himself off onto a serious opiate addiction, then accidentally weaned himself off that because the loblolly boy was stealing….
Fun! I'm reading the Wine Dark Sea, and at this time the good doctor has left laudimum behind for coca leaves. Unfortunately, the rats on the Surprise have eaten his stash.
I thought that was in The Nutmeg of Consolation, which I am currently re-reading and just had that part yesterday. But they do somewhat run together, especially the 5 book stretch where the Surprise circumnavigates
It was. The Nutmeg was a clean ship, having been deliberately sunk due to a plague on the ship. No rats, no cockroaches. Jack and Stephen rejoined the Surprise later in the story.
Until that all gets eaten by rats two weeks out from Sydney and on your first day in town you wind up stabbing an army officer. Surely those two events weren’t related.
I love all those times in the books where Stephen is clearly going through a really rough time, and then O'Brian reminds us that he's deep in the depths of drug addiction. Thinking it's time for another circumnavigation
Like the sloth is one to talk. Give him a little brandy soaked cake one time (ok, clearly a lot of times by the time Stephen figured out who had debauché his paresseux), and he spends the rest of his life stealing communion wine.
When he tells his assistant Martin his “usual dose” of “about a thousand drops” Martin has to hide his shock and horror (60 was a strong dose for pain)
Yes, and Stephen is convinced the aquavit base is the problem and no, sweetie, you've just been through accidental rehab and it's a terrible time to try to get back with your ex.
I'm trying to think of all the addictions that Maturin had in that series. Cocaine, laudanum, and weed are sticking out for me, but did he also smoke opium in India? Hash in the middle east?
But then he's like "tip the grog over the side" lol
