Definition: Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic drug derived from the opium poppy, used primarily in medicine to relieve severe or agonizing pain and suffering. It acts directly on the central nervous system to decrease the feeling of pain. Morphine can be habit-forming and is used under medical supervision due to its potential for addiction and side effects.
Etymology and Origin: The name ‘morphine’ is derived from Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams, due to the drug’s ability to induce sleep and alleviate pain. Morphine was first isolated in 1804 by the German pharmacist Friedrich Sertürner, who named it after Morpheus. It was the first alkaloid extracted from a plant and the prototype for many synthetic opioids that followed.
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