In , Adolph Butenandt, a German chemist, took the research further. By extracting testosterone from urine, Adolph was able to purify the hormone. In , Leopold Ruzicka synthesized it and thus the first synthetic testosterone hormone, safe for human consumption. Such was the milestone that both Leopold Ruzicka and Adolph Butenandt received the Nobel Prize for their discovery. By this year, Soviet Union athletes were using steroids and testosterone-propionate injections.
Their excellence in the field was evident, and this generated more interest in steroid use. John Ziegler, an American Olympic team doctor, developed Dianabol, which was later approved for human use in By s, steroid use had become so popular that it would then be availed in medical stores for sale by the s. From the s through to the s, more research was done and with it came several variations of the drug. Its use was reviewed and subsequently made illegal in by the Olympic Council.
This was the beginning of the strict drug policy enforcement. Steroid does have uses other than that of increasing performance. In the medical field, it is used to treat inflammation and symptoms of diseases.
Some of the typical examples are steroid inhalers that help treat asthma, and steroid injections, whose use is evident in treating joint and ligament pains. Further, steroid creams are in use in the treatment of skin conditions such as eczema.
Steroid as an anti-inflammatory drug comes in handy in cancer treatment. Brain tumors, for example, respond effectively to steroids. Steroids help relieve the pressure to the swollen brain. This makes it easy for the patient to deal with a tumor and for the doctors to treat it. However, one consensus remains true in the medical use of steroids; they are to be used sparingly.
With an increase in muscle mass and aggression, it is clear why steroids continue to feature more in bodybuilding circles. Humans are a naturally competitive species.
As long as we have had sports to compete in, athletes have tried all kinds of things to be the best. Athletes have used various substances and potions to improve athletic performance since the beginning of civilization. The ancient Greeks ate sesame seeds, the Australian aborigines chewed the pituri plant, Norse warriors ate hallucinogenic mushrooms, and ancient cultures around the world had similar traditions.
In the s, a group of swimmers in Amsterdam were charged with taking drugs to speed up their races. For the next 80 years or so, athletes who wanted to cheat focused mostly on stimulants to speed themselves up. In , the male hormone testosterone was first synthesized. During World War II, German soldiers were reportedly given testosterone to increase their performance and aggressiveness on the battlefield. In the s testosterone began to be widely used in competitive sports, but the dangers of loading up on testosterone were not yet clear.
In the Olympics, the Russian weightlifting and wrestling teams dominated those sports, at least in part due to synthetic testosterone. McGwire refused to answer Congress' questions that day, but in he finally admitted that he used drugs as a player The American cyclist finally rose to the top of the bike world, but a failed drug test during the Tour led officials to strip Landis of his title.
After a two-year suspension and lengthy appeals effectively ended his career, Landis admitted in that he did use performance enhancing drugs and that former teammate and 7-time Tour de France Lance Armstrong used blood doping drugs as well. Landis' accusations have led to an ongoing investigation of Armstrong, who has always maintained that he has never used any illegal substances to win. In , another former teammate, Tyler Hamilton, corroborated many of Landis' claims. During spring training in , Alex Rodriguez admitted that he had used performance enhancing drugs while a member of the Texas Rangers.
The test was meant to be anonymous and not subject to punishment by MLB , but became public after investigators seized the results of the tests as part of the BALCO investigation. Eight years later, after numerous appeals and legal challenges, baseball's all-time home run leader was convicted of obstruction of justice for giving misleading answers during his testimony, but was found not guilty on charges of perjury.
In , Ramirez was suspended 50 games after failing a drug test, becoming the most famous victim of baseball's recently installed drug testing regime. Just days into the season, Ramirez failed a second-drug test raising the possibility of a game suspension.
Rather than appeal or serve the ban, he retired. For you. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more.
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