What evidence is there that John Bell Hood abused laudanum or other opiates?

Hmm...so it seems that Wiley Sword is the main 20th century source for the rumors about Hood? Whenever I've read about this, there's never been much of a primary source beyond his doctor's original prescription. What I'm getting at, I reckon, is I haven't seen anything to indicate contemporaries of Hood - unlike contemporaries of Grant - said anything about it at all, especially as a reason why he was ferocious, which led to the destruction of his army. What was mentioned - and may have more credence than most might think - is Buck Preston.
How many contemporaries of Hood lived to tell the tale? Most of his officers died in the battles which he led late in the War, specifically at Franklin and Nashville.
 
How many contemporaries of Hood lived to tell the tale? Most of his officers died in the battles which he led late in the War, specifically at Franklin and Nashville.

He sure cut a wide swath in his command but there were still some made it out alive - Forrest, Cheatham, Chalmers and a few more. And...they didn't do much talking! Did Hood accuse Forrest and Cheatham of fooling with their hostess? Did Forrest tell him if he was a whole man he'd whop the tar out of him? Was Cleburne so stung by what Hood said he pretty much committed suicide? That's why I think it's notable that, yes, dead men told no tales, but neither did living ones for the most part!
 
At Spring Hill, Hood wants to sleep and I bet he took an opiate to sleep. He was awoken but did not seem to grasp the importance of night union troop movements. Lack of a healthy sleep... I do not think he took opiates for pain but I know once he saw a doctor use opiates to put me to sleep. I know he would try the same trick if he needed sleep because opiates were available to all back in the day, thinking he can do what the doctor did.

I honestly cannot believe that we have now advanced to this stage of speculation. So now the evidence that Hood took morphine following his leg amputation has been warped into another concocted layer of speculation because there remains no evidence that Hood ever took laudanum.

You "bet" he took an "opiate to sleep." I know you don't have a single thing to back that up.
 
I honestly cannot believe that we have now advanced to this stage of speculation. So now the evidence that Hood took morphine following his leg amputation has been warped into another concocted layer of speculation because there remains no evidence that Hood ever took laudanum.

You "bet" he took an "opiate to sleep." I know you don't have a single thing to back that up.

True, we do have an issue about Hood and his motivation and were they compromised by opiates. We must speculate or hypothesized to see if it true.

I do not think pain the issue for I think if he was using opiates its to sleep. We know he had a sleep disorder while under Dr. Darby care. Sleep disorders just do not go away and it seems Hood had sleep issues before his maiming. I speculating once he saw Dr. Darby use opiates for him to sleep. He would use opiates again once his sleep issues resurfaced out in the field. Yes, speculation.. I know human nature craves sleep and will find ways to get it...
 
Here are the long term effects of amputation not all but the big ones... from what we know Hood did not have any of these issues so most likely server pain was not an issue for him. It seems if an ampution heals correctly there is little pain involved with it.


Phantom limb pain is when an amputee experiences pain, burning, or itching sensations that seem to be coming from the limb that has been amputated.

50-80% of amputation victims suffer phantom pain after the loss of a limb, though women more commonly suffer phantom limb pain than men. It has also been found that upper limb loss victims suffer phantom limb pain more than lower limb loss victims.

Phantom limb pain symptoms can be severe. Some victims experience brief flashes of pain while others complain of constant, numbing pain.

Other physical long term effects of amputations include:

  • Contractures- a shortening of the muscles. This generally happens after prolonged bed rest or prolonged sitting.
  • Death of Skin Flaps- If circulation is inadequate death of the tissue that make up skin flaps is possible. This sometimes results in follow up surgeries to the affected limb.
  • Wound Opening- infection, excess swelling in the stump, and too much tension in the sutures can cause the wound to open which will prolong recovery.
  • Prosthetic Complications- redness, skin breakdown, bruising, or blister formation in the stump are all possible side effects of prosthetic complications.
Amputation victims suffer psychological effects as well. Loss of limb victims report feelings of loss similar to experiencing the death of a loved one. Psychological treatment is necessary for amputation victims. After an amputation victim’s face the challenge of coping with:

  • the loss of sensation from the amputated limb
  • the loss of function from the amputation limb
  • the change in the victim’s sense of body image and how they view themselves as well as how others now view them
These psychological issues often cause negative thoughts and emotions. This is especially true in people who had an emergency amputation, as they did not have time to mentally prepare themselves for the effects of surgery.

Depression, anxiety, denial, grief, the possibility of suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and even suicidal thoughts are all common psychological effects after an amputation.



 
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True, we do have an issue about Hood and his motivation and were they compromised by opiates. We must speculate or hypothesized to see if it true.

I do not think pain the issue for I think if he was using opiates its to sleep. We know he had a sleep disorder while under Dr. Darby care. Sleep disorders just do not go away and it seems Hood had sleep issues before his maiming. I speculating once he saw Dr. Darby use opiates for him to sleep. He would use opiates again once his sleep issues resurfaced out in the field. Yes, speculation.. I know human nature craves sleep and will find ways to get it...

Here are the long term effects of ambition it not all but the big ones... from what he know Hood did noy have any of these issues so most likely server pain was not an issue for him. It seems if an ampution heals correctly there is little pain involved with it.


Phantom limb pain is when an amputee experiences pain, burning, or itching sensations that seem to be coming from the limb that has been amputated.

50-80% of amputation victims suffer phantom pain after the loss of a limb, though women more commonly suffer phantom limb pain than men. It has also been found that upper limb loss victims suffer phantom limb pain more than lower limb loss victims.

Phantom limb pain symptoms can be severe. Some victims experience brief flashes of pain while others complain of constant, numbing pain.

Other physical long term effects of amputations include:

  • Contractures- a shortening of the muscles. This generally happens after prolonged bed rest or prolonged sitting.
  • Death of Skin Flaps- If circulation is inadequate death of the tissue that make up skin flaps is possible. This sometimes results in follow up surgeries to the affected limb.
  • Wound Opening- infection, excess swelling in the stump, and too much tension in the sutures can cause the wound to open which will prolong recovery.
  • Prosthetic Complications- redness, skin breakdown, bruising, or blister formation in the stump are all possible side effects of prosthetic complications.
Amputation victims suffer psychological effects as well. Loss of limb victims report feelings of loss similar to experiencing the death of a loved one. Psychological treatment is necessary for amputation victims. After an amputation victim’s face the challenge of coping with:

  • the loss of sensation from the amputated limb
  • the loss of function from the amputation limb
  • the change in the victim’s sense of body image and how they view themselves as well as how others now view them
These psychological issues often cause negative thoughts and emotions. This is especially true in people who had an emergency amputation, as they did not have time to mentally prepare themselves for the effects of surgery.

Depression, anxiety, denial, grief, the possibility of suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and even suicidal thoughts are all common psychological effects after an amputation.



As an amputee, I will not attempt an argument by anecdote, as I must state, every amputee is different. I can tell you one thing though - phantom pain for me is a tingling and electric sensation, though for the first month after my amputation it felt like a hammer. After that, it became just tingling. The best comparison I can make is if your leg falls asleep and it tingles as you get up and try to move around again.

As for Hood's sleeping problem, phantom pain will cause a loss of sleep. I used lay awake in the hospital bed at night rubbing my stump with a compression sock to get the damned tingling to stop. Opiates help to alleviate that pain and allowed him to sleep. In my case the doctors would administer Hydrocodones if they were needed. He stopped taking them when he could sleep without them. On November 24, 1863, as the good doctor noted.

As to psychological issues, I ... to be frank, it was terrifying. I was aware of that they were going to amputate before I went into surgery and I lost control of my bodily functions on the gurney. Afterward, I could not look at the residual limb for a while. The worst part was when I woke up from the surgery. It felt as if my foot was still there. I was happy. Maybe, I thought, the doctors had not taken my foot and it had been saved. I looked down once. Bloody swollen mass where my foot used to be. There was shock, and then I felt a hurt like I had never felt. And I couldn't look down again for almost two weeks. I came to terms with it on my own, but it wasn't easy. I wouldn't wish on my own worst enemy. And I say thank God for morphine.

The great coincidence is that I had bought Sam Hood's book on the myths surrounding Hood before the accident but hadn't read it yet. Being in the hospital three months gave me an opportunity to read it. It was oddly comforting, especially the chapters on Hood's own amputation and medical treatment. This whole ordeal has given me insight onto amputees like Hood and Ewell and Howard, if not a little bit of sympathy.
 
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True, we do have an issue about Hood and his motivation and were they compromised by opiates. We must speculate or hypothesized to see if it true.

To quote Lincoln, "We must make do with the tools we have at hand."

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As an amputee, I will not attempt an argument by anecdote, as I must state, every amputee is different. I can tell you one thing though - phantom pain for me is a tingling and electric sensation, thought for the first month after my amputation it felt like a hammer. After that, it became just tingling. The best comparison I can make is if your leg falls asleep and it tingles as you get up and try to move around again.

My respect and admiration for your courage and fortitude to push through your injury -- both physically and psychologically. I am deeply moved and appreciate your candor regarding your personal experience.
 
It would help your case immensely if you provided a source for your position. It has proved imprudent to rely on another's interpretation of a source in the past.

And it would help your case immensely if you would stop robotically defending everything your fellow Northern apologists say.

There's this thing called Google: You can put statements in quotes and it will find the statement, nine times out of 10. I quoted chunks of Lee's reply to Davis. Anyone not bound by their emotional commitment to their paradigm can read Lee's words and see that he was obviously trying to dissuade Davis from appointing Hood in place of Johnston.

The problem is that some of you folks can't admit anything, nothing, no matter how clear the evidence. I've never seen anyone on any other forum challenge this well-established fact. But, oh well. . . .

If you wish to join Cash in believing that Lee did not clearly try to dissuade Davis from appointing Hood to replace Johnston, be my guest.
 
There is a book that points out a doctor would give Hood morphine to sleep. Why would he need morphine to sleep? In the end, morphine causes morphine insomnia and this may be the issue for Hood. Morphine shortens the two import parts of Slow Wave Sleep(Deep Sleep) and REM sleep. If the brain is not getting its proper downtime and brain maintenance in sleep he would display side effects which will impair decision making and mood behavior. Here the kicker, if you use morphine to sleep you will have to take more over time to sleep(thinking you are sleeping) it becomes an unpleasant link. If you use morphine to sleep you will abuse it over time and you will not be getting the sleep your brain needs to function.

John Bell Hood was sleep deprived due to morphine insomnia which would explain some of his behaviors and decision makings and most likely addicted to opiates. I wonder why no historian has ever mentioned before this post...

What book?

We have proof through his doctors own writing that he was not addicted to opiates.
 
As an amputee, I will not attempt an argument by anecdote, as I must state, every amputee is different. I can tell you one thing though - phantom pain for me is a tingling and electric sensation, thought for the first month after my amputation it felt like a hammer. After that, it became just tingling. The best comparison I can make is if your leg falls asleep and it tingles as you get up and try to move around again.

As for Hood's sleeping problem, phantom pain will cause a loss of sleep. I used lay awake in the hospital bed at night rubbing my stump with a compression sock to get the ****ed tingling to stop. Opiates help to alleviate that pain and allowed him to sleep. In my case the doctors would administer Hydrocodones if they were needed. He stopped taking them when he could sleep without them. On November 24, 1863, as the good doctor noted.

As to psychological issues, I ... to be frank, it was terrifying. I was aware of that they were going to amputate before I went into surgery and I lost control of my bodily functions on the gurney. Afterward, I could not look at the residual limb for almost a week. The worst part was when I woke up from the surgery. It felt as if my foot was still there. I was happy. Maybe, I thought, the doctors had not taken my foot and it had been saved. I looked down once. Bloody swollen mass where my foot used to be. There was shock, and then I felt a hurt like I had never felt. And I couldn't look down again for almost two weeks. I came to terms with it on my own, but it wasn't easy. I wouldn't wish on my own worst enemy. And I say thank God for morphine.

The great irony is that I had bought Sam Hood's book on the myths surrounding Hood before the accident but hadn't read it yet. Being in the hospital three months gave me an opportunity to read it. It was oddly comforting, especially the chapters on Hood's own amputation and medical treatment. This whole ordeal has given me insight onto amputees like Hood and Ewell and Howard, if not a little bit of sympathy.
Thank you for sharing this with us, @novushomus. Thank you for being so open, for sharing your experience, and for helping us remember the real people on this board.
Adam
 
And it would help your case immensely if you would stop robotically defending everything your fellow Northern apologists say.

So you attempt to boost your credibility by insulting me? *sigh*
 
True, we do have an issue about Hood and his motivation and were they compromised by opiates. We must speculate or hypothesized to see if it true.

I do not think pain the issue for I think if he was using opiates its to sleep. We know he had a sleep disorder while under Dr. Darby care. Sleep disorders just do not go away and it seems Hood had sleep issues before his maiming. I speculating once he saw Dr. Darby use opiates for him to sleep. He would use opiates again once his sleep issues resurfaced out in the field. Yes, speculation.. I know human nature craves sleep and will find ways to get it...


You speculate and put out zero evidence. You're making total guesses and have nothing factual to back it up. Did you read Sam Hood's book? It's all bunk
 
And it would help your case immensely if you would stop robotically defending everything your fellow Northern apologists say.

There's this thing called Google: You can put statements in quotes and it will find the statement, nine times out of 10. I quoted chunks of Lee's reply to Davis. Anyone not bound by their emotional commitment to their paradigm can read Lee's words and see that he was obviously trying to dissuade Davis from appointing Hood in place of Johnston.

The problem is that some of you folks can't admit anything, nothing, no matter how clear the evidence. I've never seen anyone on any other forum challenge this well-established fact. But, oh well. . . .

If you wish to join Cash in believing that Lee did not clearly try to dissuade Davis from appointing Hood to replace Johnston, be my guest.

I have the virtue of being able to comprehend the English language. Lee never advised Davis against putting Hood in command. He didn't try to dissuade Davis from appointing Hood. He gave what he viewed were Hood's strong points and weaknesses in good faith and did not favor any one possible candidate over another. In Post #68, I posted what Lee wrote to Davis.
 
Well, it wasn't Lee's job to recommend or not recommend who the commander-in-chief elected to place in charge of the AoT. He was the general in charge of the ANV. Period. Davis could have gotten a similar letter from Kirby-Smith, for that matter. What Lee said in the letter was all he really could say. He wasn't an advisor anymore and he wasn't in charge of all the Confederate forces until literally just weeks before the end of the war. So, all he could really say was what he did say - I'd think about it considerable if I was you, sir, but then I've never seen him in a higher command. Up to you! Now, when Lee got command of all forces, then he could have said yes or no about anybody.
 
Should one not take a grain of salt when reading books written about a relative by another relative, as one takes a grain of salt when reading memoirs...

Except when the material is supported by primary source as the Sam Hood book is.
 
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