A powerful pain-relieving drug made from the opium poppy, used in medicine to treat severe pain and sometimes in illegal contexts.
Named after Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams and sleep, because the drug induces sleep and dulls pain. The name was given in the early 1800s when it was first isolated.
Morphine was considered a miracle drug when it was discovered—doctors could finally stop severe pain, but they didn't realize it was addictive until thousands of soldiers returned from wars physically dependent after getting it for wounds.
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