The Journal of Inebriety (1876-1914): history, topical analysis, and photographic images.

AIMS

The publication of the Journal of Inebriety (1876-1914) chronicled the rise and fall of the first era of organized addiction medicine in the United States.

METHODS

Findings from historical research, a content analysis of the Journal's 35 volumes and 141 issues and images from the Journal illustrate visually the medical treatment of addiction in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

RESULTS

Under the editorial direction of Dr T. D. Crothers, the Journal of Inebriety published papers and reviews focused primarily on the medical treatment of alcohol and opiate addiction within a growing international network of inebriate homes and asylums.

CONCLUSIONS

The history of the Journal of Inebriety mirrors efforts in America to forge a legitimized field of addiction medicine amid conflicting conceptualizations of the nature of severe alcohol and other drug problems.