The Chemistry of Mind-Altering Drugs: History, Pharmacology, and Cultural Context

Not to put too fine a point on it, the book is mind-altering itself. It changed the way I looked at my erstwhile indulgences.


A very thorough and intriguing read on a very important topic   October 31, 2007
Mason Bockelman
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

This is an extremely valuable book which provides something not many other sources can: an unbiased, scientifically grounded analysis of psychoactives which also includes realistic cultural context, fascinating history, a sense of whimsy, and subjective descriptions of effects. This makes it of use to all kinds of people: those interested in psychopharmacology, drug therapy for mental illness, ritualistic and spiritual drug use, the mechanisms of the brain, safe and informed recreational drug use, and simply being informed about a broad and complicated social reality.

The book spends about equal time on the mechanism of action and chemical structure of the substances described, and the various uses to which they have been put throughout global human history. In these descriptions, it thoroughly cites studies and explains why said studies are the most useful, making it rather unbiased. That said, it is occasionally critical of drug laws, though any objective analysis is likely to come to the same conclusion, and included are very subjective quotations, though these are never stated as fact and give the book a page-turning, fascinating sense of narrative unexpected from a textbook. Overall, the work's scientific rigor is unquestionable and unlikely to meet critique but from opponents of drug use so strong in their fervor that they would deny objective truth.

Having been last updated in 1996, there are a few missing pieces of information regarding current drugs of abuse. For example, dextromethorphan is mentioned, but in very little detail compared to it's fairly widespread use in the current underground drug culture (and it is categorized mysteriously in the opioid section, despite being fairly well-recognized as a ketamine-like dissociative at higher doses). Another curious omission is Salvia divinorum, not recreationally popular until about the time of publication, but having been in shamanic use in Mexico for a very long time, and written about in scholarly literature as early as the 1960s. One other drawback for certain uses is that this is not a practical handbook: there is not much in the way of dosage information, and durations when present are a bit buried in the text rather than presented up-front. Luckily, the book, as stated earlier, is very well-referenced, and exploration of the works of cited authors/researchers (Huxley, Hoffman, Shulgin, et al) will provide far more depth into many of these areas. Hopefully future editions will be updated to include these and any other important omissions.


Although Dated, It Is a Must Have for All Interested in Neuropsychopharmacology!   April 20, 2009
Marshall L. Quentel (Montana)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Although this text is from 1996 it still is an absolute must have for anyone that works with Psychotropic Drugs or Patients that use or abuse them or that are prescribed them.

Perrine gives an entertaining and elucidating account of the genesis of all the classes of mind altering drugs. Moreover, the book coherently explains the historical and cultural aspects surrounding the discovery and development of new drugs in each class of psychotropic compounds.

Included, are some detailed accounts- sometimes tragic- of serendipitous yet monumental discoveries in psychopharmacology. A case in point is that of a graduate student intent on the clandestine chemical synthesis of a psychotropic compound. Inadvertently, he ended up with a contaminated product MPP+ which led to his untimely death and the death of others. Yet, this lab mishap ended up having profound implications for understanding the neurochemical mechanisms involved in Parkinson's Disease.

A definite must have... I just wish an updated edition could be published!


Good book about a taboo subject   February 22, 2009
Ajax the Great (State College, PA USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I had to read this book for class and couldn't put it down. Perrine writes in such a way that can make any subject engrossing. Not only does he describe the effects of various substances, he also explains how they occur at the molecular level. Something most books about drugs don't do. He even discussed cultural elements, and some parts are quite humorous. It is not preachy or designed to scare and exaggerate like many books on the subject are. This book seems to be slightly biased in favor of some substances (most notably cannabis) but most of the book is about as objective as one can get, showing warts and all. You will certainly not want to run out and snort cocaine or shoot heroin or trip on acid after reading this book. But you may question the rationale as to why some substances are legal and others are not. The biggest downside is that it has not been updated since 1996, and much new information about mind-altering substances has been gained in the past 13 years. For example, we now know how DXM works on the brain as a dissociative (similar to PCP and ketamine--don't try this at home!), and back then Perrine (and others) assumed that the "trip" was just a placebo effect. He also did not mention any of the deliriants (anticholinergics), nor did he talk about Salvia. I would like to see a new edition sometime soon, preferably with better proofreading and organization, as well as more information added. A good complement to this book would "The Biochemical Basis of Neuropharmacology" by Cooper, Bloom, and Roth. Though that one is not quite as interesting as this book.

If he were to update the book, I recommend that he break up the miscellaneous "Dissociatives and Cannabinoids" chapter into "Dissociatives and Deliriants," "Cannabis and Cannabinoids," and have an additional chapter for those that don't fit either. There are also many new substances to add as well.