1887

In the late 19th century, European and American scientists began documenting peyote, a cactus used in Indigenous ceremonies. John Briggs wrote about it in 1887, and James Mooney described his experiences with the Kiowa in Oklahoma in 1891. German chemists identified four alkaloids in peyote by the mid-1890s, outpacing American efforts. In the United Kingdom, researchers including Havelock Ellis conducted dramatic self-experiments with peyote. Though their work did not produce widely accepted breakthroughs, these early pioneers explored peyote and mescaline as tools for mental health professionals.

Study at a glance

Abstract

In this chapter, we consider the moment when European and American scientists “discovered” peyote. John Briggs was one of the first Americans to write about peyote (in 1887), followed shortly by James Mooney, who recounted his experiences among the Kiowa of Oklahoma at the Anthropological Association in Washington DC in 1891. Around this time, the German scientist Louis Lewin encountered peyote while on a trip to the United States. Americans proved less adept at unlocking the chemistry of the cactus than their German counterparts, who identified four different alkaloids in the cactus by the mid-1890s. This period also saw notable studies of peyote by investigators in the United Kingdom, including some fairly dramatic self-experimentation among English intellectuals overseen by Havelock Ellis. Though their work did not yield widely accepted breakthroughs, these researchers were early pioneers in the exploration of the use of peyote and then mescaline as a tool for mental health professionals.