Mehrdad Hamidi (EDT), Mohammad-Ali Shahbazi (EDT), Hajar Ashrafi (EDT) Drug Abuse in Sport

Annotation

The first documented history of doping routes backs to when a professor of medicine decided to determine the effect of cocaine in American coca leaves on performance by hiking his students in the mountains. The results of this work showed that cocaine can decrease fatigue in athletes as well as in the general population. The ancient Greeks excessively believed in using some kinds of psychoactive mushrooms or fortifying drinks to enhance their performance. Although these substances showed beneficial effects, it is likely that they had adverse effects. This book reviews the history and current status of this troubling affliction in the athletic arena.