Fitz Hugh Ludlow

Aug 4, 2025

The podcast dives into the fascinating life of Fitz Hugh Ludlow, whose early fame was intertwined with drug use. It highlights his groundbreaking advocacy for addiction treatment long before it was mainstream. The narrative explores his tumultuous childhood, unique experiences with hashish, and the duality of its effects on his creativity. His romantic journey adds a personal touch, contrasting historical observations with modern context. The discussion ultimately reflects on his legacy and the complex relationship between addiction and literature.

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INSIGHT

Addiction as Illness Recognized Early

Fitzhugh Ludlow recognized addiction as an illness rather than a moral failing in the 1860s.
He advocated for compassionate, destigmatizing treatment decades ahead of modern perspectives.

ANECDOTE

Ludlow's First Hashish High

After secret experiments, Ludlow experienced a powerful anxiety-ridden high from hashish.
He had frightening hallucinations and a delusional sense of immortality, common in drug experiences.

ANECDOTE

Publishing The Hashish Eater

Ludlow published "The Hashish Eater" in 1857, inspired by De Quincey's opium confessions.
His book detailed drug experiences openly, including the unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.

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Fitz Hugh Ludlow’s fame as a writer was directly tied to his drug use initially. In his final years, his advocacy for treatment of the illness of addiction was really ahead of its time.

Research:

“Beyond the Hasheesh Eater: Fitz Hugh Ludlow, A Nineteenth Century Writer and Adventurer.” Schaffer Library. Union College. https://exhibits.schafferlibrarycollections.org/s/beyond-the-hasheesh-eater-fitz-hugh-ludlow-a-nineteenth-century-writer-and-adventurer/page/welcome
Bredeson, Robert C. “Landscape Description in Nineteenth-Century American Travel Literature.” American Quarterly, vol. 20, no. 1, 1968, pp. 86–94. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2710992
Day, Horace B. “The Opium Habit.” 1868. Accessed online: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/7293/pg7293-images.html
“Death of Fitz Hugh Ludlow, the Hasheesh Eater.” The Buffalo Daily Repiblic. Oct. 7, 1870. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1140456339/?match=1&terms=Fitz%20Hugh%20Ludlow
“Fitz Hugh Ludlow.” New York Times. Oct. 9, 1870. https://www.newspapers.com/image/26001499/?match=1&terms=Fitz%20Hugh%20Ludlow
“Fitz Hugh Ludlow.” New York Times. Sept. 12, 1903. https://www.newspapers.com/image/20430047/?match=1&terms=Fitz%20Hugh%20Ludlow
Hendricks, Gordon. “Roaming the West with ALBERT BIERSTADT.” The American West. Vol. XII. No. 1. January 1975. https://npshistory.com/newsletters/the-american-west/v12n1.pdf
“Ludlow, Fitz Hugh (1836-1870).” The Vault at Pfaff’s. Lehigh University. https://pfaffs.web.lehigh.edu/node/54134
Ludlow, Fitz-Hugh. “Among the Mormons.” The Atlantic. April 1864. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1864/04/among-the-mormons/306013/
Ludlow, Fitz Hugh. “The Apocalypse of Hasheesh.” Putnam’s Monthly. Vol. VIII. December 1856. Accessed online: https://web.archive.org/web/20140503090034/http://www.lycaeum.org/nepenthes/Ludlow/Texts/apocalyp.html
Ludlow, Fitz Hugh. “The hasheesh eater : being passages from the life of a Pythagorean.” New York. Harper and Bros. 1857. https://archive.org/details/66640730R.nlm.nih.gov/mode/2up
Ludlow, Fitz Hugh. “The heart of the continent : a record of travel across the plains and in Oregon, with an examination of the Mormon principle.” New York. Hurd and Houghton. 1870. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/heartofcontinent00ludl/page/n5/mode/2up
Ludlow, Fitz-Hugh. “If Massa Put Guns Into Our Han's.” The Atlantic. April 1865. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1865/04/if-massa-put-guns-into-our-hans/629143/
Ludlow, Fitz-Hugh. “Seven Weeks in the Great Yo-Semite.” The Atlantic. June 1864. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1864/06/seven-weeks-in-the-great-yo-semite/628596/
Ludlow, Fitz-Hugh. “Through-Tickets to San Francisco: A Prophecy.” The Atlantic. November 1864. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1864/11/through-tickets-to-san-francisco-a-prophecy/628652/
“Ludlow-Santo Domingo Library.” Harvard Library. https://library.harvard.edu/collections/ludlow-santo-domingo-library

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