In discussing the nature of heroin in the first chapter, the book notes that heroin is the "brand name" of the chemical diacetylmorphine HCL, a close relative of morphine. Heroin has no effect on the human body; rather, it acts as a transport vehicle for morphine and, to a lesser extent, codeine. This chapter describes how heroin transports morphine through the blood to the brain, as well as the psychological effects of morphine, which include euphoria (a sense of safety and contentment), nausea, depressed respiration, constipation, and a number of other minor physical changes. The second chapter reviews the history of heroin production and use, followed by a chapter on its glamorization. Three chapters discuss the heroin trade, the science of heroin, and the heroin subculture. The practical aspects of a heroin user's obtaining of heroin ("scoring") on the streets are described in another chapter, followed by chapters on the purifying of street heroin; how heroin is used; and the major diseases associated with heroin use, although they do not come from the heroin itself. Remaining chapters discuss addiction, detoxification, sudden death, and the danger of the myth that heroin is the "hardest" of the illegal drugs.