Heroin actually began life as a commercial medicine. The drug was synthesized from morphine in the 19th century and famously marketed by Bayer beginning in the 1890s. For decades, heroin was promoted medically, often as a cough treatment, before its side-effects became impossible to ignore.
“Heroin” was Bayer's trademark, reportedly derived from the German heroisch, or “heroic,” reflecting the powerful sensation associated with the new drug.
Morphine, cocaine, heroin and opium all passed through legitimate Western medicine, while arsenic appeared in everything from medicinal preparations to cosmetics and infamous poisons. Substances now associated with addiction, criminalization and danger were once encountered in the respectable world of physicians, pharmacists and apothecaries.
The porcelain itself is marked Limoges, France. Limoges is a celebrated porcelain-producing region in central France. Its rise began after deposits of kaolin, the white clay essential to true hard-paste porcelain, were discovered nearby in the 18th century. By around 1830, Limoges had overtaken Paris as France's principal center for privately manufactured porcelain.
Details
Origin: Limoges, France
Date: Mid-20th century
Material: Glazed porcelain with gilt decoration
Inscription: Heroine
Features: Removable fitted lid with gilt finial; gilt rim and base; marked underside
Dimensions:Approx. 6.5 inch L × 3.5 inch W
Condition: Very good vintage condition. Please review photographs carefully.
