On Speed

I thought this book was really interesting. I was really surprised to learn how many people currently use amphetamines and how long amphetamines have been in use. I though Rasmussen’s argument that people use amphetamines and other drugs in order to fit into the cheerful, thin, active image that society calls for is provocative. It is interesting to think that when society makes these impossible demands on people that they turn to medicine as a fix to these problems. I really liked how Rasmussen intertwined the history of amphetamines in the military with the history of amphetamines in society as a whole. I thought that there were some interesting parallels between both histories, particularly how the military gave amphetamines to the soldiers in order for them to fit the ideal image of a soldier. The military wanted the soldiers to be brave and continued to give the drugs to the soldiers despite the evidence that the drugs did not improve performance and could be harmful. I liked the similarity between this and how society takes the drugs in order to fit an ideal image even when to drugs can lead to serious problems.