Rehabilitating LSD history in postwar America: Dilworth Wayne Woolley and the serotonin hypothesis of mental illness
History of Science September 1, 2016 Kim Hewitt 2 citations
A chemist at the Rockefeller Institute, Dilworth Wayne Woolley, proposed an early biochemical theory of mental illness based on his research with LSD and serotonin. His work helped establish a biochemical paradigm for mental functioning and contributed to the medicalization of mental illness. Revisiting Woolley's ideas and the history of postwar LSD research suggests possible new approaches to mental health and illustrates a shift toward a biopsychosocial model that recognizes the interplay between biology and culture.