Welcome to this website, which describes books and articles by Wallace Mendelson MD, primarily on the history of psychiatry and psychopharmacology.
Topics fall into four groups:
History of medicine: ‘The Curious History of Medicines in Psychiatry’, ‘Molecules, Madness, and Malaria’, and ‘Nepenthe’s Children’ describe the discoveries and evolution of medicines used in psychiatry, sleep disorders, infectious disease, and anesthesia. Emphasis is placed on the influence of world events, the personalities of the people involved, and the frequent role of chance observations in these discoveries.
‘Trial by Fire’ describes how the founders of modern neuroscience were affected by, and in turn influenced, World War II.
'The Psychoanalyst and the Nazi Nobelist' is the story of the decades-long friendship between Sigmund Freud and Julius Wagner-Jauregg, the first psychiatrist to win the Nobel Prize.
'The Battle over the Butterflies of the Soul' describes how two differing views of the way nerve cells communicate gave birth to the field of neuroscience.
'From Despair to Discovery' is about the life of Matthias Jakob Schleiden and the origins of cell theory in biology.
'Pharmacy of the Mind' describes the discoveries of the first antipsychotics, antidepressants, and tranquilizers, emphasizing the earlier scientific developments which made them possible, as well as the influence of the World War II era.
'Gilles de la Tourette: His Life, Work and World' presents the life of the French neurologist who characterized the syndrome named after him, and explored epilepsy, movement disorders and hypnosis.
Literature: 'Fragile Brilliance' describes how Emily Dickinson, Herman Melville, Edgar Allan Poe and other great authors produced a body of extraordinarily creative work while living remarkably troubled lives.
Sleep: ‘The Science of Sleep’ describes our understanding of what sleep is and how it works, but also express the sense of wonder which surrounds it.
Understanding medicines: The goal of ‘Understanding Antidepressants’, ‘Understanding Sleeping Pills’, and ‘Understanding Medicines for Anxiety’ has been to express new insights into treatments for depression, insomnia and anxiety in terms that are meaningful for persons who are experiencing these disorders, in the hope that it will be helpful in making informed decisions when working with a doctor. They are written broadly enough to also be useful for trainees who are learning to prescribe medicines or providers of non-medicine 'talking' therapies.
RESOURCES, which are accessed from the menu on the left, include:
Book Descriptions
Dr. Mendelson’s online articles: from his blog in Psychology Today as well as a variety of websites devoted to health and medical care. Topics include depression, insomnia, sleep science, and the history of psychiatry.
Downloads: Including a curriculum vitae and other professional information.
A note about the picture at the top of this page: These are the three princes of Serendip, who were said to be 'always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of.' Their legend is fitting for a history of the serendipitous discovery of many medicines, as seen in The Curious History of Medicines in Psychiatry. (From I me principi de Serendippo publshed by the printer Michele Tramazzino in 1557, who believed it was derived from Christoforo Armono. Taken from Wikimedia Commons, in the public domain.)
