The Age of Intoxication

In The Age of Intoxication, Benjamin Breen explores the fascinating 17th and 18th centuries when the understanding of drugs blurred the lines between medicinal and recreational uses. He delves into the Portuguese colonies in Brazil and Angola, as well as Lisbon, to illustrate how various substances—from herbs to poisons—were discovered, commodified, and consumed. Breen also reveals how the British Empire's success was intricately linked to its appropriation of Portuguese drug networks, highlighting the entwined history of drugs, science, and imperialism.