Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Cameron, D.
Right arrow Articles by Jones, I. G.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Cameron, D.
Right arrow Articles by Jones, I. G.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© 1985 Faculty of Public Health Medicine of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom

research-article

An epidemiological and sociological analysis of the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs of solace


Donald Cameron, Senior Lecturer
Ian G. Jones, Community Medicine Specialist

Department of Community Medicine, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh Warrender Park Road, Edinburgh EH9 1DW


Correspondence to: Dr Cameron

Our society not only needs alcohol, tobacco and other drugs of solace to relieve individuals of a great burden of pain and suffering but could not function in its present form without them. The underlying causes of the medical conditions associated with their use are twofold: those which are due to direct material causes; and those in which the material causes act indirectly through ideology. A major task for epidemiology is the study of the aetiology and classification of those diseases which provide a need for the drugs of solace. In the meantime, the prevention of these conditions requires immediate action, which will not be truly effective unless we consider what it is in our society that creates a need for these drugs and unless we make sure that whatever action we initiate takes account of the effects of all these drugs together.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.