Making the First Anti-Depressant: Amphetamine in American Medicine, 1929-1950

Rasmussen, Nicolas

doi:10.1093/jhmas/jrj039

Cited by 81 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…One side puts major transformation in psychiatry solely down to new medication (Healy, 1997;Shorter, 2008), whereas the other side likes to keep quiet about or play down the role of the 'psychopharmacological revolution' in reforming psychiatry and achieving social psychiatric approaches (Hanrath, 2003;Rose and Weinke, 2005). Although both developments are, without question, closely connected, the historical debate remains strangely fragmented: on the one hand, there is excellent analysis of the differentiation of psychopharmacotherapy and the development of the modern pharmaceuticals market (Balz, 2010;Rasmussen, 2006), while on the other hand there are numerous, excellent examinations of far-reaching reforms in the structure of psychiatric care (Bernard and Morenon, 2004;Oosterhuis, 2005).…”

Section: History Of Psychiatry 22(2)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Writing the history of psychiatry in the 20th century

Hess

Majerus

2011

Hist Psychiatry

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As editors of the special issue, we try to summarize here the historiographic trends of the field. We argue that the field of research is accommodating the diversity of the institutional, social and political developments. But there is no narrative in sight which can explain the psychiatry of the 20th century, comparable to the authoritative coherence achieved for the 19th century. In contrast, the efforts to extend these narratives to the 20th century are largely missing the most impressive transformation of psychiatric treatment — and self-definition.

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Section: History Of Psychiatry 22(2)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Writing the history of psychiatry in the 20th century

Hess

Majerus

2011

Hist Psychiatry

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“…Alles published his first clinical results with the compound in 1929, 4 began amphetamine's clinical development in collaboration with pharmacologists and clinicians at the University of California, and received a patent on its orally active salts in 1932. 5 Meanwhile, possibly inspired by Alles's work, supplied methamphetamine. 17 Of course, not all amphetamine supplied by the military was ingested by servicemen, nor did users ingest it ad libitum; there were rules limiting the drug's use.…”

Section: Origins Of the Epidemic 1929-1945mentioning

confidence: 99%

America’s First Amphetamine Epidemic 1929–1971

Rasmussen

2008

Am J Public Health

121

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Using historical research that draws on new primary sources, I review the causes and course of the first, mainly iatrogenic amphetamine epidemic in the United States from the 1940s through the 1960s. Retrospective epidemiology indicates that the absolute prevalence of both nonmedical stimulant use and stimulant dependence or abuse have reached nearly the same levels today as at the epidemic’s peak around 1969. Further parallels between epidemics past and present, including evidence that consumption of prescribed amphetamines has also reached the same absolute levels today as at the original epidemic’s peak, suggest that stricter limits on pharmaceutical stimulants must be considered in any efforts to reduce amphetamine abuse today.

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“…Despite the strong stimulant properties of ephedrine products, they became considered efficacious in the treatment of bronchiolar disorders, even in children. The American Medical Association (AMA) approved ephedrine for medicinal use and it was introduced to the market in 1926 [2][3][4]. Because scientists agreed that ephedrine had low toxicity and a wide margin of safety, it became widely promoted and used throughout the US to treat a variety of disorders [5][6][7][8].…”

Section: A New Medicinal Stimulant Is Introduced To the Usmentioning

confidence: 99%

How ephedrine escaped regulation in the United States: A historical review of misuse and associated policy

Palamar

2011

Health Policy

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Making the First Anti-Depressant: Amphetamine in American Medicine, 1929-1950

Cited by 81 publications

References 80 publications

Writing the history of psychiatry in the 20th century

Writing the history of psychiatry in the 20th century

America’s First Amphetamine Epidemic 1929–1971

How ephedrine escaped regulation in the United States: A historical review of misuse and associated policy

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