The Chemical Muse: Drug Use and the Roots of Western Civilization [Hardcover]

D. C.A. Hillman Ph.D. (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312352492 | ISBN-13: 978-0312352493 | Publication Date: July 22, 2008 | Edition: First Edition

“The last wild frontier of classical studies.” ---The Times (UK)
The Chemical Muse uncovers decades of misdirection and obfuscation to reveal the history of widespread drug use in Ancient Rome and Greece. In the city-states that gave birth to Western civilization, drugs were an everyday element of a free society. Often they were not just available, but vitally necessary for use in medicine, religious ceremonies, and war campaigns. Their proponents and users existed in all classes, from the common soldier to the emperor himself.
Citing examples in myths, medicine, and literature, D. C. A. Hillman shows how drugs have influenced and inspired the artists, philosophers, and even politicians whose ideas have formed the basis for civilization as we know it. Many of these ancient texts may seem well-known, but Hillman shows how timid, prudish translations have left scholars and readers in the dark about the reality of drug use in the Classical world. 
Hillman’s argument is not simply “pro-drug.” Instead, he appeals for an intellectual honesty that acknowledges the use of drugs in ancient societies despite today’s conflicting social mores. In the modern world, where academia and university life are often politically charged, The Chemical Muse offers a unique and long overdue perspective on the contentious topic of drug use and the freedom of thought.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The role of psychoactive drugs has been airbrushed out of the conventional picture of Western civilization. The academics who have created this drug-free Greco-Roman world have found their nemesis in Dr. Hillman’s The Chemical Muse. With clarity and directness the author gives us back a lost chapter of our Classical heritage and by doing so restores our understanding of this past.” ---Richard Rudgley, author of Lost Civilizations of the Stone Age 

“In addition to demonstrating the importance of medicinal botanicals and chemicals in alleviating the sufferings of humanity in the ancient Greco-Roman world, Dr. Hillman unveils the role that many of them played as recreational drugs, not for the lunatic fringes of society, but as sources of knowledge and religious sacraments by the leading artists, thinkers, and politicians, central to the very formation of what we admire and enshrine as the Classical tradition. The Chemical Muse inspired democracy itself and the greatest minds of antiquity.”---Carl A. P. Ruck, author of Sacred Mushrooms: The Secrets of Eleusis

"David Hillman has given us a penetrating insight into our permanent romance with altered consciousness.  This important work is a myth-buster."---Mike Gray, author of Drug Crazy and The China Syndrome

About the Author

D. C. A. Hillman earned an M.S. in bacteriology and an M.A. and Ph.D in classics from the University of Wisconsin. His research has been published in the academic journal Pharmacy in History. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with his wife and children.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; First Edition edition (July 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312352492
• ISBN-13: 978-0312352493
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #523,989 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, March 16, 2010

By 

Professor K (Loma Linda, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Chemical Muse: Drug Use and the Roots of Western Civilization (Hardcover)

I was looking for some scholarly works on the current and past use of psychoactives for a course I am creating. I personally found this work to be lame. The author relates his perceived persecution by his thesis committee in having to remove aspects of his thesis, then proceeds to present ancient Greece and Rome as a society with open and accepted drug use (poisoning to medical to recreational). The author may well be correct that these cultures were well versed in the use of botanicals, but the information is presented in such a personally opinionated way that it is distracting. The information contained may serve as a starting point to find further information; however, I do not feel I can use it as a reference for anything that I present to my students.

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprising truths they hid from us, July 29, 2008

By 

blueskies "blueskies" (Cloud in the Sky) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Chemical Muse: Drug Use and the Roots of Western Civilization (Hardcover)

I just received a copy of this book this week, and literally couldn't put it down since I found the topic fascinating. The author describes his ordeal with a doctoral dissertation committee, who were insisting that he remove offending chapters from his dissertation. Those chapters became this book.

It seems to be a huge secret that there was recreational drug use by the ancients. The cradle of democracy was full of druggies! I had some classical studies and none of this was EVER mentioned. But, the use of herbals and botanicals for medicinal purposes was known. The use of psychotropic substances for recreation and inspiration was decidedly not taught.

For a very fascinating look at a still taboo subject, I suggest reading ths book. It is an easy read, despite the scholarly origin for the author. I would have liked more scholarly references but probably wouldn't have understood them since I have no background in ancient Greek. I was particularly interested in the way the author tied the frequent wars to use of botanicals for medicine and relief. Life was difficult back then and
it probably did help to numb the fear and pain of a very hostile world to have potent drugs sold in the marketplace along with the kitchen produce.

Very readable and informative and a little naughty. I had no idea that the founders of Western democracy were bisexual druggies until I read this book!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good information, poorly edited, November 6, 2008

By 

Aaron_2278 - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Chemical Muse: Drug Use and the Roots of Western Civilization (Hardcover)

I would recommend this book to anyone who is curious about possible drug use by past civilizations. I believe this book has loads of insightful information and presents a well thought out thesis which is backed up with evidence that is pulled from a few main sources and which is open to debate. The writing style and organization leave much to be desired, however, the book presents a view of ancient people that is rarely presented. If you want to know where current academics let their philosophical views govern how they interpret ancient writings on drug use, this book will definitely give you some well thought out opinions on the matter.

As other people have mentioned, the author is angry that he had to edit out parts of his dissertation that related to drug use in order to obtain his doctoral degree. That would tick me off too. I do not believe that his anger came off as such in the book. I would describe it more as passion for the subject.

The main issues I have with the book is the poor editing and the lack of variety in the sources. The book could have been about half the size based upon the repeating of the main ideas with different examples. I understand why he organized the book the way he did, I just think it could have flowed better if it was organized with each chapter dedicated to the writings of each author discussed. The flow was broken up when going from one author to another and back again.

I do like the examples given on where drug use shows up in ancient writings, and the author gives some good examples of where modern scholars interpretations have distorted the translations. The book did leave me wanting more information and that seems to be the goal of the author. However, I do not possess the knowledge to translate the ancient works myself, and so I am left to read the writings based upon current translations. It may be nice if the author were to publish something that lists the Greek and Latin works that scholars have mistranslated and alongside them the correct translation according to his research (for the specific drug related words that have been mistranslated).

Lastly, the evidence given in the book is definitely debatable. While I do believe the author has proven his point sufficiently in the book, there is no way for him to prove to the world beyond a doubt that his views are right and the rest of the scholarly world is wrong. I believe that this makes that book much more interesting as a conversation piece since it can spark a rational debate that can only help us understand the current world we live in.

Over all, I would recommend this book. It is well researched, and provides a viewpoint on ancient drug use that is not often heard, but should be. It can be a bear to get though, but you will come out with a different perspective on ancient people and how they dealt with their world.