ABSTRACT
Until comparatively recently, the problem of doping in sport was perceived as one that could be conveniently compartmentalised in terms of particular sports, countries or events. The rapid emergence of the problem of doping dates from the period following the end of the Second World War. Prior to the 1940s, drug use in sport was crude, relying on a variety of natural products and their derivatives, with alcohol and the opiates being the most common. The wartime period resulted in two significant developments that set the context for the modern doping problem; first, the requirements of the military boosted the scientific efforts to synthesise drugs that would maintain alertness longer or increase aggression; and secondly, the use of amphetamines and steroids within the armed forces drew attention to the potential value of these drugs outside a therapeutic context.
