The Lithium Treatment of Maniacal Psychosis

Evaluation of beneficial and adverse effects on plants and animals following lithium deficiency and supplementation, and on humans following lithium treatment of mood disorders

“…After several patients had died, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned "stop using this dangerous poison at once!" Moreover, Cade's discovery was seriously affected by Australian reports on toxic side effects occurring in patients who had received Li treatment for mania [80,93]. Since that debacle, in the mid-1960s, a widespread mistrust of, and resistance to, Li as a capricious toxic substance was deeply rooted in the minds of many psychiatrists in the USA.…”

Lithium

“…The specific antimanic effect of lithium ions is a surprising and fascinating property, compared to the unspecific efficacy of other drugs. With the introduction of routine serum lithium monitoring (Talbott 1950, Noack andTrautner 1951), and with a better knowledge of the biochemical and pharmacokinetic properties of lithium (Amdisen and Nielsen-Kudsk 1986) as well as its bioavailability (Phillips 1991, Heim et al 1994, Birch et al 1995a, lithium developed into a safely used psychopharmacological agent. However, Cade's important observation was overshadowed by several cases of lithium poisoning in the USA (Corcoran et al 1949, Hanlon et al 1949, and also by Australian reports on toxic side effects occurring in patients who had received lithium treatment for mania (Roberts 1950, Noack andTrautner 1951).…”

Obituary

“…antimanic action of lithium by John F. Cade (1949) and by C. H. Noack and E. M. Trautner (1951). H o w e v e r , Schou found these studies, although revolutionary, to be 'insufficiently stringent'.…”