Barry Blackwell’s reply to Walter Brown’s Comment
Johan Schioldann’s History of the Introduction of Lithium into Medicine and Psychiatry: Birth of Modern Psychopharmacology 1949

      Walter Brown’s concern that my review of Shioldann’s massive tome may be TL DR: (Too Long, Don’t Read), is well taken and provides an opportunity to explain a wider perspective on my contributions to this historical website which has a history of its own.

       My collaboration with Tom Ban began late in our careers, in 2008, when we started working together on his project The Oral History of Neuropsychopharmacology – in time for the 50th anniversary of the ACNP in 2011, I edited two of the volumes and wrote more than 50 brief biographies of leading pioneers.

      In 2013 Tom invited me to join in forming and contributing to the INHN website. From the outset I saw an opportunity to write longer more definitive but selective biographies. This “convenience sample” has to date yielded 13 contributions. Although they are each posted in “Biography” they are derived from four different sources. These are Personal Memoirs: (Callaway, Rickels and Smythies), Book Reviews: (Thudichum, Delay, Schioldann, de Moore and Westmore), Interviews: (Elkes, Charalampous and Varga), Literature & Reminiscences: (Lehmann, Delgado and Lewis).

       I am currently trying to incorporate this diverse collage into a book – tentative title “Treating the Brain: A Brief Selective History of Psychopharmacology,” first as an e-book and eventually as an income generating publication to help INHN which currently has no independent economic support.

       Walter’s final comment, that my Scandanavian bloomer illustrates our need for a formal (salaried?) copy editor, explains why this busy author has nothing to offer but his apologies.

 

March 29, 2018