Morphine is the most effective naturally occurring compound used for the relief of pain in medicine and surgery. It also induces sleep and produces euphoria. The active ingredient in opium, from which it is derived, morphine is highly addictive with repeated use. Its story is the story of the founding of alkaloid chemistry, which grew out of the study of plant bases and plays an essential role in medicine.

In 1805, opium was widely used for its euphoric effects, and a German pharmacist named Friedrich Sertürner (1783-1841) decided to investigate the components of poppy juice, from which opium is derived. He found an unknown acid, converted it into a crystalline precipitate, and named it principium somniferum. Having determined that this substance was the active ingredient in opium, in 1809 he recommended the cultivation of the poppy on a large scale as a way to further the national economy...