Review of Inhalants - ARCHIVES - National Institute on Drug Abuse

Chapter 1
INHALANT ABUSE:
AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROBLEM
Sidney Cohen
HISTORY
The efficiency <strong>of</strong> the pulmonary absorption <strong>of</strong> gases and volatile
liquids has been known since prehistoric times. The surface area
<strong>of</strong> the pulmonary epithelium and the mucous membranes <strong>of</strong> the
respiratory trace is large, and absorption is rapid. In addition
to gases and volatile fluids, smokes, snuffs, and nonvolatile
solutions in aerosol spray form can produce systemic effects
through their absorption along the airway. Further advantages
<strong>of</strong> respiratory tract absorption compared to the gastrointestinal
route is that the material is delivered directly to the target organ
without passing through the liver with its detoxifying enzyme
systems. ‘I’herefore, effects upon the brain, for example, are
more rapid and more intense than by oral administration.
The advantages <strong>of</strong> pulmonary transfer <strong>of</strong> consciousness-altering
substances have been widely exploited. The method <strong>of</strong> the ancient
Greeks at Delphi was rather sophisticated. In order to
invoke the gift <strong>of</strong> prophecy, an old woman known as the Pythoness
was seated on a tripod placed over a vent in a rock from
which carbon dioxide emanated, This induced a trance-like state
during which the subsequent act <strong>of</strong> divination occurred.
When the carbon dioxide vent gave out, sacred laurel leaves were
scorched in a copper bowl and inhaled by the Pythoness. A
sufficient concentration <strong>of</strong> carbon dioxide was achieved to reproduce
the trance and the prophetic experience (Cohen, 1967).
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