A hypothesis that a substance with properties between mescaline and adrenaline, called M substance, might be an aetiological agent in schizophrenia was proposed a year earlier. The current paper reports on a year of collaborative testing of that hypothesis. The hypothesis suggested that such a substance, with mescaline-like psychological effects but adrenaline-like concentrations, could account for schizophrenia better than existing theories.
A prominent figure in a scientific controversy reviews the contested subject, acknowledging the difficulty of obtaining an impartial perspective. The review was published because the author is an authority actively engaged in the problem and to bring details to a wide audience. The text invites correspondence, indicating an open discussion.
Theoretical and flesh and blood models, such as drug-induced psychoses, aim to provide insights into psychopathology but cannot accurately represent naturally occurring psychoses due to their inherent variability. A model is useful only insofar as it helps generate and test hypotheses about disease etiology, mechanisms, or treatment. This paper examines the model psychosis produced by LSD.