Social History of Medicine
July 17, 2006
Erika Dyck
87 citations
Between 1950 and 1970, psychiatrists in Canada and the United States administered LSD to alcoholics, aiming to trigger a profound psychological crisis that would disrupt drinking patterns. Early reports claimed high success rates, but methodological flaws and the drug's countercultural associations eroded medical support. The practice reflected broader tensions between biomedical research, social values, and the regulation of psychedelics.
Social History of Medicine
June 3, 2009
Alex Mold
18 citations
A review of Erica Dyck's book on the history of LSD in psychiatry, which traces the drug's trajectory from a promising clinical tool in the 1950s to a recreational substance on university campuses in the 1960s. The book examines how LSD's therapeutic potential was overshadowed by its association with counterculture, leading to strict regulations and the end of most research. Dyck argues that this shift was shaped by cultural and political forces, not just scientific evidence.
Social History of Medicine
May 28, 2021
Per Haave, Willy Pedersen
7 citations
In the early-to-mid 1960s, LSD was widely used in psychotherapy in several countries, but its use declined. Two explanations are examined using the Norwegian case: a 'moral panic' triggered by youth subcultures adopting cannabis and LSD, and a lack of proof for therapeutic efficacy as double-blind trials became the standard. Both factors contributed. Even before illegal drug use emerged in youth groups, key figures in Norwegian healthcare grew skeptical due to insufficient evidence of therapeutic benefit. This skepticism intensified when youth subcultures appeared in the mid-1960s and the 'war on drugs' reshaped drug policy.
Social History of Medicine
December 18, 2019
Peder Clark
2 citations
A review of Mike Jay's book 'Mescaline: A Global History of the First Psychedelic' describes the work as tracing mescaline's journey from pre-Columbian use in the Americas through its isolation by Western scientists, its role in shaping modern psychiatry and psychoanalysis, and its influence on art and mythology. The review notes Jay's narrative weaves together diverse historical and scientific threads, showing how mescaline challenged conventional understandings of consciousness and perception. The book is presented as a comprehensive account that connects indigenous traditions, laboratory research, and artistic experimentation, offering a broad cultural history of the substance.
Social History of Medicine
May 28, 2019
2 citations
A collection of letters between Aldous Huxley and Humphrey Osmond reveals the great friendship that developed during the last decade of Huxley's life and Osmond's most fertile research period. The correspondence covers their shared fascination with exploring the mind, the biochemistry of schizophrenia, magic, mysticism, and the mundane aspects of running a mental hospital in Weyburn, Saskatchewan. The book showcases their conviction that sick people would not be sick if their experience of the other were valued. Both British expatriates, they discuss colleagues, friends, funders, spirit mediums, group dynamics, patients, wives, children, and their own experiences with psychoactives including ololiuqui seeds, mescaline, and LSD, though the letters are not primarily about the drugs.
Social History of Medicine
March 28, 2024
Alexander Dawson
A review of the edited volume Expanding Mindscapes: A Global History of Psychedelics, which argues that the history of psychedelics extends beyond a Western narrative centered on the 1960s counterculture. The book presents a global perspective, examining the use of psychedelics in diverse cultural, medical, and scientific contexts across different time periods and regions. It challenges the assumption that psychedelics were primarily a Western phenomenon and explores their roles in indigenous traditions, colonial encounters, and modern scientific research.