Scan barcode
A review by willwork4airfare
An Anatomy of Addiction: Sigmund Freud, William Halsted, and the Miracle Drug Cocaine by Howard Markel
4.0
I hate Freud so much and usually refuse to read anything about him, but this book piqued my interest and even had me feeling vaguely sympathetic for him. It helped that only one chapter really covered his psychoanalytic techniques or Interpretation of Dreams.
Written in a compelling, easy-to-read style with alternating chapters on Freud and Halstead. It was a quick and interesting read with lots of cool pictures (and several unnecessary and gratuitous ones). The author shares many primary source documents as evidence and excerpts from letters from Freud and Halstead themselves. The author didn’t come off as overly moral or condemning of cocaine, merely described its effects and the experiences of many addicts. Some tangents went too long and could use better editing, but overall, I really enjoyed this read.
Written in a compelling, easy-to-read style with alternating chapters on Freud and Halstead. It was a quick and interesting read with lots of cool pictures (and several unnecessary and gratuitous ones). The author shares many primary source documents as evidence and excerpts from letters from Freud and Halstead themselves. The author didn’t come off as overly moral or condemning of cocaine, merely described its effects and the experiences of many addicts. Some tangents went too long and could use better editing, but overall, I really enjoyed this read.