Prairies, psychedelics and place: the dynamics of region in psychiatric research.
Health & place September 1, 2009 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2009.02.005 via PubMed
Summary
The term 'psychedelic' originated in 1957 from a Saskatchewan asylum superintendent amid significant political and psychiatric reforms. The article examines how the geographical context of Saskatchewan influenced the evolution of medical theories regarding mental illness and addiction, integrating insights from various disciplines to analyze the historical significance of region and place in psychedelic research after World War II.
Study at a glance
| Design | case study |
|---|---|
| Population | historical analysis of psychedelic research in Saskatchewan |
| Key finding | Geographical context significantly influenced the development of medical theories on mental illness and addiction in post-World War II Saskatchewan. |
Abstract
In 1957, the word 'psychedelic' entered the English lexicon from a rather unexpected location: an asylum superintendent working on the Canadian prairies in one of the provincial mental hospitals in Saskatchewan. During the 1950s Saskatchewan-based researchers engaged in political and psychiatric reforms that brought international attention to their work in a relatively isolated geographic location. This article considers the influence of location on the development of a medical theory that challenged prevailing ideas about the causation and treatment of mental illness and addiction. Drawing on perspectives from historians, political scientists, sociologists and geographers, this case study explores the historical meanings of region and place and combines older historiographical traditions, which define region in political terms, with concepts borrowed from other disciplines, which offer a more nuanced view of cultural geography, to examine the development of psychedelic research in the post-World War II period.