An essay on hasheesh

In Short

This study is a curious hybrid of medical history, botanical classification, and first-hand account. Written in 1912, it traces the role of Cannabis sativa from its use in ancient religious sects and the "Old Man of the Mountains" to its presence in early 20th-century pharmaceutical prescriptions. The author frames the drug as an "intoxicant of the spirit" and a tool for philosophical reverie. It has endured because it captures a specific historical intersection: the moment when scientific curiosity began to systematically document the subjective, ecstatic experiences of the narcotic traveler.

The Story

The narrative begins with a philosophical invitation. Drawing on the words of John Addington Symonds, the author suggests that in a modern, disenchanted world, we have lost the Greeks and the old religions; what remains is the "hasheesh" of the mind—a way to live in the past through illusions and reveries. The book then pivots to a clinical and historical survey of the hemp plant. It catalogs its global reach, from the banks of the Volga to the fields of Kentucky, and details its botanical intricacies, noting the "poddar" who carefully weeds out the male plants to ensure the potency of the female harvest.

From botany, the story moves into the dark history of the Ismaelite sect in Persia and Egypt. Here, the author recounts the legend of Hassan Ben Sabbah, who allegedly used the drug to simulate paradise for his "Devoted Ones," fueling their willingness to commit political murder. Following this historical diversion, the text transitions into a medical exploration. It examines the work of Dr. William B. O’Shaughnessy, who brought the drug into Western pharmacopeia, and provides a long list of contemporary medical applications—ranging from treatments for gonorrhea to corn remedies.

The heart of the book lies in the author’s own experiments. He describes testing the drug on friends and acquaintances, many of whom experience nothing, suggesting that the drug requires a "receptive state." However, the accounts of his brother Frederic and his friend Courtenay Lemon offer vivid, chaotic descriptions of the drug's onset. Frederic becomes a loquacious, philosophizing orator, obsessed with the "great idea" and prone to uncontrollable laughter. Courtenay Lemon provides a more detailed, analytical account of his own symptoms, describing the physical sensation of turning into metal, followed by hours of exhausting, "ineffable" mirth.

The author concludes his own journey by recording his personal experience with a dose that transports him into a state of infinite, weightless space. He sees visions of gold-paved streets, peacock feathers, and mountain peaks, only to be brought back to reality by the arrival of his father. The work ends on a note of lingering, dreamy beauty, with the author walking through Central Park the next day, viewing the world through a lens of renewed, idealized wonder. The final appendix serves to formalize the subjective reports of his subjects, confirming that while the physical after-effects include drowsiness and thirst, the primary legacy of the experiment is the memory of a profound shift in consciousness.

How It Unfolds

The philosophical premise The author establishes a melancholic worldview where the modern individual is starved of meaning. He argues that hasheesh acts as a bridge, allowing the spirit to inhabit the lost beauty of history and myth.

The botanical and historical survey The text moves into the science of the plant, detailing its biology and the strange, violent history of the "Old Man of the Mountains." This section grounds the drug in its dual identity as both a medicine and a weapon of faith.

The pharmacological catalog The author lists a wide array of 1912-era prescriptions, showcasing how cannabis was once a routine, if peculiar, component in tinctures and pills. He highlights the absurdity that a single plant could treat both nervous disorders and foot corns.

The series of experiments The author shares his attempts to induce the "hasheesh state" in others. He documents the failures and the successes, capturing the manic, often hilarious outbursts of his subjects as they navigate their own temporary paradises.

The author’s own descent The narrative concludes with the author’s personal trial. He describes the transition from reality to a world of infinite floating, providing a sensory-rich account of his own hallucinatory visions.

The People

Victor Robinson acts as the objective yet sympathetic narrator, framing the entire endeavor as a scientific exploration of the "Maya world" of the mind. His brother, Frederic Robinson, serves as the most exuberant subject; he becomes a caricature of a radical thinker, pacing the room and delivering impassioned, nonsensical speeches about social reform and "the great idea." Courtenay Lemon provides the most intellectualized account; he experiences a profound physical metamorphosis into metal, yet maintains a keen, almost clinical interest in his own laughter, eventually providing a written memorandum of his experience. Together, these men act as the "devoted ones" of a modern, secular temple, attempting to map the boundaries of their own psyche with a mix of scientific rigor and youthful abandon.

In Its Own Voice

"Take down the perfumed scrolls; open, unroll, peruse, digest, intoxicate your spirit with the flavor."

The author quotes John Addington Symonds to invite the reader into a literary and narcotic exploration of the past.

"The hemp was doing its work."

The author observes his brother, Frederic, finally crossing the threshold into the laughing state after hours of anticipation.

"I am all the time on the borderline between Science and Folly."

Courtenay Lemon, while under the influence of the drug, identifies the precarious position of the experimenter.

What It's Really About

The book is an investigation into the malleability of human perception. It questions whether the "real" world is simply a consensus of the sober, and whether a temporary departure from that reality can offer a genuine, if fleeting, form of truth. It explores the tension between the clinical, objective observation of a drug’s effects and the deeply personal, incommunicable nature of an ecstatic experience. By juxtaposing scientific chemical formulas with accounts of poetic, transcendent visions, the author argues that medicine and mystery are not necessarily at odds—that the search for health and the search for "the great idea" are both part of the same human impulse to transcend the limitations of the physical body.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in the history of science, the development of drug culture, or the transition of medical thought at the turn of the century will find this work fascinating. It reads like a snapshot of a more experimental era, where the author acts as both doctor and guinea pig, unabashedly curious about the fringes of human cognition.

The prose is warm, rhythmic, and deeply rooted in the literary sensibilities of the early 1900s, full of references to poets and philosophers that give the medical text a surprisingly artistic flair. However, readers should be prepared for the period-specific attitudes, particularly the breezy way the author dismisses the struggles of his subjects or adopts the casual prejudices of his day. The book is not a modern scientific study; it is an artifact. It remains memorable for its honest, sometimes humorous, and often vulnerable attempt to bridge the gap between a chemical substance and the vast, unmapped territory of the human imagination. If you are willing to overlook the outdated medical practices and the occasional Victorian indulgence, you will find an intimate record of a night spent chasing "the great idea," told with a rare, lingering sense of wonder.