CYPRUS ORIGIN OF DRUGS

Greeks 460-357 B.C.

A known doctor of the period was Diagoras the Cypriot (3rd century BC). He was mentioned by Dioscorides with regards to opium use, also by Pliny and Erotianus. Diagoras was famous outside Cyprus. He was specifically interested in pharmacology and he devised the ‘Great Collirio’ used for burns, exophthalmos, keratitis, eye ache (ponommatos), and discharge from the eye. The Collirio was also used to cure headache, with the addition of opium into the mixture.

Oracle Influence from Greece

They were smoking and chewing on hallucinogenic plants in order to see visions and dream and give advices to kings and rulers

Ottoman Period

In Cyprus there were too many sick people due to the frequent malaria epidemics, and too few doctors. Qualified doctors were working well and paid well. In addition, doctors were selling drugs for extra income. The first doctor of that period was Aloise Cucci (1625). He was an Italian who lived in Cyprus, a well-informed and wise doctor. There were many others mentioned by name, both Cypriot and French.

Lusinians

Doctors were allowed to practice only after permission from bishops and other more senior doctors.Ignorance and malpractice where punished, sometimes by death. The Lusignians used affumications, herbs, astrology, venesections, cautery, purging, and pilgrimages to the saints. A surgeon was locally called 'surgentis', the hospital 'spitalli' and the midwives 'mammouthes', who also performed virginity examinations. A medical doctor was called ‘doctor of physic’ as opposed to a surgeon. The chemist was called 'myropsios'. Mastre (Magistro) was a title given to doctors, as well as to chief musicians (hence ‘Maestro’), chief builders (hence ‘Master’) and army officials.
A physician known as Mastre Gky (c1300), was probably Dr Guido de Pagnolo, an Italian living in Cyprus and personal friend of Petrarch. King Pier I of France sent Mastre Gky to Genoa as an emissary to mediate and try to find a compromise on several political issues between the Genoese and Franks. He was successful and he was said to have achieved 'real and firm' cooperation. This indicates that some doctors had heavy political involvement in the government. Other doctors were Mastre Pier Vryonas, Mastre Gabriel Zintilis, and Mastre Synglitikos, all believed to be of Greek Cypriot origin. Curing saints were very in demand, particularly by the lower social classes. The higher classes paid for qualified doctors. For example, The historian Macheras says that St Mamas is 'miraculous all over the world, and if I was going to write about his cures, I wouldn't be able to do it while alive". Other saints were thought to cure fever, malaria, sciatica etc. Examples of epidemics

General

Along with suplies during wars in ancient times they were transferring opium in food and weapon supplies
Due to our geographical position Cyprus acted as a supply route for opium
A goddess from about 1500 BC shows her hair adorned probably with poppy-capsules and her closed eyes disclose sedation. Also juglets probably imitating the poppy-capsules were found in that period in both Cyprus and Egypt. The first authentic reference to the milky juice of the poppy we find by Theophrastus at the beginning of the third century BC. In the first century the opium poppy and opium was known by Dioscorides, Pliny and Celsus and later on by Galen

Summary

Predominately opium was the most common drug used in ancient to modern times as a medicine or soothing instrument during war times.

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