It may seem that a book detailing the experimentation and addiction to cocaine by two respected men of science, Sigmund Freud and William Halsted, would be a dry account of the obsessive pursuits by long-dead individuals. As such, one could come to the conclusion that there’s nothing new that can be gleaned from such an account.

Nothing could be further from the truth. For one thing, the very fact that these men could become enslaved by the drug for a period of time shows us that anyone, rich or poor, educated or not, and from any walk of life can become trapped in the insidious and relentless grip of cocaine addiction.

These two men, both ambitious and driven doctors in the 1880s, experimented with cocaine and, according to the author of An Anatomy of Addiction: Sigmund Freud, William Halsted, and the Miracle Drug Cocaine, Howard Markel, “fully expected cocaine to be the wonder drug of modern medicine.” Freud consumed the drug by sniffing it, while Halsted was prone to injecting cocaine.

Neither man knew of cocaine’s dangers or its addictive qualities. In fact, addiction as a medical diagnosis had yet to appear in textbooks, so no one had a clue about addiction. How Freud got involved with cocaine was that he was treating a friend, a surgeon who had lost his hand. Freud believed that cocaine could help ease the man’s pain, and it did, at first, but then his friend’s condition worsened. Freud didn’t want to continue experimenting on a drug without scientific self-knowledge of its effects, so he began using it himself. Surprise, he found that he liked it, not the least of which was the sexual thrill he got when he took it.

Halsted, on the other hand, started experimenting with cocaine almost as soon as he heard about it. In the same manner that Freud did, Halsted used himself as a test subject and quickly became addicted.

Ironically, though both men could easily have crossed paths, they reportedly never met. After 12 years of addiction to cocaine, Freud is believed to have quit using the drug. Halsted, according to history, never lost his habit.

Who is Howard Markel? He is a doctor who has treated addicts and a professor of medical history. In this book, Markel applies a novelist’s techniques to portray the path of addiction that Freud and Halsted underwent. It can, however, be a bit of heavy reading at times. Still, when it comes to revealing the ambitions of the two physicians, and the political intrigue and favoritism often involved in medical advancement (that is, climbing up the hierarchy in the medical community), Markel’s writing is rather illuminating. Who knew such subterfuge and machinations went on with our respected doctors? Well, at least for Freud and Halsted during the 1880s.

Supposedly, Freud had ditched cocaine in 1896, just as he began to formulate the concepts for the work that became his historical legacy. As Markel notes: “It appears unlikely that Sigmund used cocaine after 1896, during the years when he mapped out and composed his best-known and most influential works, significantly enriched and revised the techniques of psychoanalysis…and attempted to explain some of the great riddles of human existence.” Even so, after more than a decade of continuous use of the drug, however, it is interesting to speculate about how much cocaine influenced Freud’s later work.

Halsted, on the other hand, abused cocaine and morphine until the final days of his life. Indeed, cocaine nearly destroyed his career, writes Markel. Binges and frequent absences from work were a normal occurrence, and Halsted’s friends and acquaintances arranged his schedule so as to keep his addiction hidden while the doctor was somehow able to somehow maintain a high level of performance in his professional life.

How many of us know cocaine addicts or those afflicted with another form of substance abuse who frequently go on binges, detox, and go right back to using in a vicious cycle? We know all too well, if we are close to someone with an addiction, how long they can more or less pull the wool over our eyes, cloaking their use and abuse until serious negative consequences mount up. Indeed, sometimes, even then, addicts are able to navigate their lives with some level of normalcy, all the while deep under the grip of their drug of choice.

Markel writes, “Even fervent substance abusers can achieve greatness.” How true. Thus, picking up An Anatomy of Addiction: Sigmund Freud, William Halsted, and the Miracle Drug Cocaine and sitting down to read it could prove instructive in more ways than one.

First, it is a fascinating, albeit dry, historical look at how two respected figures succumbed to cocaine, a drug they initially believed to be a wondrous cure-all. Second, the book illustrates how far-reaching the effects of cocaine addiction can be.

Getting off the cocaine bus isn’t easy for anyone, whether they’re the stature of Sigmund Freud or William Halsted – or the housewife next door, our spouse, close friend, co-worker or casual acquaintance.

Is this a read for everyone? Undoubtedly, it is not. But if you have some time and need something to pore over that will at least capture your attention here and there – more so if you’re deeply into the study of addiction, treatment and recovery – this book should definitely be on your bookshelf, if not your nightstand.