Was Hector Berlioz an opiate addict?

Berezutskaya M.S.,Berezutsky V.I.

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Was Hector Berlioz an opiate addict?

March 13, 2018

1131

Neurology and Psychiatry

Berezutskaya M.S.

Berezutsky V.I.

Specialities :

Neurology and Psychiatry

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The article is devoted to the study of the circumstances of life, illness and creativity of the famous French composer Hector Berlioz in aspects of possible influence of opium intake. For the purpose of retrospective diagnostics of opium addiction, and also for assessing the possibility of its impact to the composer’s creativity, a pathographic analysis of publications about H. Berlioz’s health throughout his life was carried out. The study of the autobiography, the work of contemporary biographers and also the analytical studies of specialists in retrospective diagnostics showed that H. Berlioz, from his student years, periodically took opium in therapeutic doses as an analgesic and hypnotic drug. Opium addiction was formed only in last 10–15 years of his life against the background of the gastrointestinal desease with the pain syndrome. However, the works written at this time were created during the remission of the disease, and therefore they do not bear any signs of the effect of taking opium.

V.I. Berezutsky, M.S. Berezutskaya

Key words: opium addiction, Hector Berlioz.

Published: 14.03.2018

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