title: Making Sense of the 'Chemical Revolution'. Patients' Voices on the Introduction of Neuroleptics in the 1950s.
abstract: The so-called chemical revolution has produced a vast historiographical corpus. Yet the patient's voice remains surprisingly absent from these stories. Based on the archives of the Institut de Psychiatrie (Brussels), this paper traces the introduction of Largactil as recounted in patient letters, physician records and nurse notes. The paper thus contributes to the history of therapies from below, but also participates in the historiographical debate about whether the introduction of neuroleptics can indeed be considered a revolution.
authors.forename: Benoît
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Majerus
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000266:history* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005602:France; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000266:history*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000266:history*; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000266:history / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016312:Treatment Refusal
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs
keywords: 1950s; Brussels; Chemical Revolution; Institut de Psychiatrie de Brugmann; Largactil; Neuroleptics