Objekt 1169
Pharmacological turning point
Description
For a long time, strong sleeping pills and sedatives were the only drugs available to psychiatrists. In 1953, the first modern psychotropic drug, Largactil, was launched. It not only had a calming effect, but also directly alleviated psychotic symptoms, which is why it was used primarily for schizophrenic disorders. This marked the beginning of a new era in psychiatric hospitals. However, since Largactil was ineffective for many disorders, older forms of therapy such as insulin treatments continued to be used into the 1960s.
Object description
Largactil
Inv. 2018.470.
Commemorative medal
issued by the company SPECIA (Rhône-Poulenc), which brought Largactil onto the market.
Text on the front: In 1795, Dr Philippe Pinel freed the insane from their chains = En 1795, le docteur Philippe Pinel libérait les aliénés de leurs chaines. Text on the back: En 1950 le Largactil 4560 RP Chlorpromazine libérait les malades de leur psychose = In 1950, Largactil 4560 RP Chlorpromazine freed the patients from their psychosis.
On loan to the Pharmacy Museum in Basel