That men should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains: Reconsidering the origins of model psychosis.
History of the human sciences February 1, 2025 Matthew Perkins-McVey
The promise of the Prozac era has not been fulfilled, with fewer effective new medications reaching the market and rising demand for better treatments. In response, controlled psychedelic therapy has seen renewed optimism, reviving the old idea that intoxication resembles psychosis. This article questions the conventional narrative that the concept of 'model psychosis' emerged in the mid-19th century, instead tracing its deeper historical roots. Examining Moreau de Tours's 1845 'hashish madness' and Emil Kraepelin's study of 'artificial insanity' in the 1880s-90s, the author argues that intoxication represents an originary conception of madness.