Louis Aubert-Roche
Encyclopedia
Louis Rémy Aubert-Roche was a French physician born in Vitry-le-François
. He was an authority on contagious diseases and medical officer at the construction of the Suez Canal
.
He is remembered for a 1840 publication titled De la peste ou typhus d'Orient: Documens et observations recueillis pendant les années 1834 à 1838, en Egypte, en Arabie, sur la Mer Rouge, en Abyssinie à Smyrne et à Constantinople, in which he describes his medical observations in North Africa and southwestern Asia. In this book he mentions the possibilities of using hashish
for treatment of the plague
and typhoid fever
. This belief was based on his observance that Egyptians who indulged in hashish seemed to be less susceptible to diseases that affected Europeans.
Aubert-Roche was not the first 19th century physician to mention the medical possibilities of cannabis
-based drugs. In 1839, William Brooke O'Shaughnessy
(1809-1889} of the British East India Company
published a treatise called On the Preparation of the Indian Hemp
or Gunja, Transactions of the Medical and Physical Society of Bengal.
Vitry-le-François
Vitry-le-François is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France. It is located on the Marne River and is the western terminus of the Marne-Rhine Canal.- History :In 1142, Louis VII invaded Champagne and seized Vitry-le-François...
. He was an authority on contagious diseases and medical officer at the construction of the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
.
He is remembered for a 1840 publication titled De la peste ou typhus d'Orient: Documens et observations recueillis pendant les années 1834 à 1838, en Egypte, en Arabie, sur la Mer Rouge, en Abyssinie à Smyrne et à Constantinople, in which he describes his medical observations in North Africa and southwestern Asia. In this book he mentions the possibilities of using hashish
Hashish
Hashish is a cannabis preparation composed of compressed stalked resin glands, called trichomes, collected from the unfertilized buds of the cannabis plant. It contains the same active ingredients but in higher concentrations than unsifted buds or leaves...
for treatment of the plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
and typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
. This belief was based on his observance that Egyptians who indulged in hashish seemed to be less susceptible to diseases that affected Europeans.
Aubert-Roche was not the first 19th century physician to mention the medical possibilities of cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
-based drugs. In 1839, William Brooke O'Shaughnessy
William Brooke O'Shaughnessy
William Brooke O'Shaughnessy MD FRS was an Irish physician famous for his work in pharmacology and inventions related to telegraphy...
(1809-1889} of the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
published a treatise called On the Preparation of the Indian Hemp
Hemp
Hemp is mostly used as a name for low tetrahydrocannabinol strains of the plant Cannabis sativa, of fiber and/or oilseed varieties. In modern times, hemp has been used for industrial purposes including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food and fuel with modest...
or Gunja, Transactions of the Medical and Physical Society of Bengal.