Plenty of bodybuilding drugs available thru the 1940's and onwards.
The first anabolic steroid isolated was androstenone from human urine by Adolf Butenandt. It was later synthesized by German chemist Leopold Ruzicka in 1931. Later three competing groups raced to isolate a more powerful androgen known to be present in testes and in 1935 Karoly Gyula David, E. Dingemanse, J. Freud and Ernst Laqueur published their successful isolation in a paper "On Crystalline Male Hormone from Testicles (Testosterone). The chemical synthesis of testosterone was achieved in August that year, by Butenandt and G. Hanisch. The age of anabolics was born. Clinical trials using methyltestosterone and testosterone propionate began in 1937. The sport of bodybuilding wasted no time. Testosterone propionate was mentioned in Strength and Health magazine in1938. There are unsubstantiated rumors that Nazi Germany used testosterone preparations on their armed forces. The Allied forces used them to treat malnourished concentration camp survivors. Therapeutic capacity of this class of compounds was realized the moment or even prior to the first isolations from natural tissue. One has to wonder how quickly these compounds made their way to Hollywood. I think of Mae West, who was toward the end of her Hollywood career by the end of the 1930s. What was she known for? Musclemen. She surrounded herself with musclemen. Hell, she married one in ther later years named Chester Rybinski, a Mr. California. Yes, one has to
wonder how soon Hollywood introduced steroids into the mix. Afterall, many Jews that were rescued from German concentration camps were really saved by these compounds. It is not unreasonable to think that Jewsish mogals in hollywood, that essentially ran the industry (i.e. Lewis Goldwyn - Carl Meyer et al.) knew of these things and their power?
1940
Russian sports programs began the use of testosterone derivatives in their athletic programs through the 1940s and quickly dominated Olympic lifting. At the same time in limited circles these anabolic compounds were being used for bodybuilding purposes. It is rumored that Reg Park, after winning the Mr. Briton title in 1949, visited the United States for 6 months where he met Joe Weider. It has been reported by former Mr. Universe (1972) Roger Walker that Park gained 50 lbs in that 6 months. There are also rumors that Steve Reeves used testosterone although he has denied their use in many interviews, although be did admit to B12 injections.
