Rehabilitating LSD history in postwar America: Dilworth Wayne Woolley and the serotonin hypothesis of mental illness

Summary

The history of postwar LSD research shows that Dilworth Wayne Woolley's work at the Rockefeller Institute was pivotal in forming a biochemical understanding of mental illness. He developed one of the first theories linking biochemistry and mental health, particularly through his research on LSD and serotonin. This reevaluation of his ideas suggests new approaches to mental health, reflecting a shift towards a biopsychosocial model that recognizes the interplay between biology and culture.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Revisiting the history of postwar LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) research illuminates how the work of a chemist at the Rockefeller Institute contributed to the development of a biochemical paradigm for mental functioning. Dilworth Wayne Woolley proposed one of the first theories of the biochemistry of mental illness based on empirical evidence. His research with LSD and serotonin had wide-ranging repercussions for pharmacology and fit neatly into the emerging medicalization of mental illness. Reevaluating Woolley’s ideas and the fruits of psychopharmacology leads to possible new approaches toward mental health and illness when considered alongside lessons learned from past research with psychedelic substances, and exemplifies a broader paradigm shift in cultural studies toward a biopsychosocial model that acknowledges the intersections between biology and culture.