Mat Savelli, University of Oxford
Chemical Heritage Foundation, Brown Bag Lecture
Time: 12:00pm
Location: Chemical Heritage Foundation
Since the commercial launch of Chlorpromazine (Thorazine, Largactil) in 1953, pharmaceuticals have come to play an increasing role in the treatment of mental illness. This period has also witnessed a growing international homogenization in how mental illness is defined. Although scholars have suggested that these two processes may be linked, more research is needed to identify the connection between the rise of psychopharmaceuticals and the globalization of psychiatric disorders. This discussion will focus on how advertisements contained within medical journals and the popular press can contribute to our understanding of this dual-process. In particular, it examines key themes and tropes in the history of psychopharmaceutical advertisements.
Mat Savelli (University of Oxford, 2011) is a historian of medicine with particular interests in post-war psychiatry and pharmaceuticals. His PhD dissertation traced the history of psychiatry in Communist Yugoslavia (1945-1991) and he is presently editing a volume on psychiatry under Communism. His current research examines the international evolution of psychopharmaceutical advertising from 1953 to the present day. His other research projects include cigarette packaging policy and the history of gambling in Communist Europe.