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Article: Accidents and Injuries from Drugs
- Article from:
- Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol, and Addictive Behavior
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES FROM DRUGS
Throughout history, humans have taken substances other than food into their bodies in ways that usually were socially accepted. The most common form has been as medicine, in attempts to change some feeling of ill-being or disease, such as Pain, fatigue, or tension. Some cultures distinguish between socially approved and disapproved uses of substances by labeling those approved as "medicine" and those disapproved as
"drugs." Although the word
medicine
derives from a Latin word meaning "of a physician," throughout much of recorded history and even today, "folk" medicine and "home remedies" are widely practiced. Early medicines were taken exclusively from ...