Harvard History | December 15, 2014

Research Query: LSD Testing in the 1950s

A researcher hopes to contact volunteer participants in “truth sera” experiments.

From The January-February 2015 Issue

In the first half of the 1950s, Henry Beecher of Harvard Medical School oversaw a series of experiments, sponsored by the U.S. Army Research Council, that were designed to test “truth sera” using various drugs, including LSD. The drugs were tested on volunteers, some of them Harvard students. Now Beecher professor of anesthesia James Rathmell is preparing an historical article on Beecher and his research. If you—or anyone you know—volunteered for Beecher’s experiments, Rathmell would like to hear from you: rathmell.james@mgh.harvard.edu. Confidentiality will be assured for those who wish it.

Published in the January-February 2015 print issue under the headline “LSD Testing in the 1950s,” in the Alumni section.

You might also like

A man sitting at a wooden table in a formal setting with portraits on the wall.

A theatrical reenactment explores a 1976 clash between science and democracy.

A chaotic scene in a messy room with people engaging in various activities, some cleaning.

Until the 1950s, professionals cleaned up after students in the dorms.

Aerial view of modern high-rise buildings surrounded by greenery and city skyline.

In a sea of red brick, the Science Center and Peabody Terrace make their mark.

Most popular

Photo montage showing Harvard’s Widener Library and the edifice of the Supreme Court divided by a gavel.

The Supreme Court Affirmative Action Rulings: An Analysis

The underlying arguments project clashing worldviews of race and appropriate remedies.

A blue refrigerator covered with animal pictures, notes, and drawings, surrounded by greenery.

An animal’s journey from grief to love shows how much humans need each other, too.

An older man sits on a gravestone in a cemetery, looking contemplative.

The Secrets of Haiti’s Living Dead

A Harvard botanist investigates mystic potions, voodoo rites, and the making of zombies.

Explore More From Current Issue

A woman with long hair stands confidently with crossed arms next to a pickup truck.

Alumni Profiles

In her memoir All That's Unseen, Emilee Hackney explores religion, friendship, and home.

A woman with long, silver hair rests her chin on her hand, wearing a black top.

Arts & Culture

Author and Harvard Divinity School writer-in-residence Terry Tempest Williams finds beauty in the world around us.

Colorful abstract design resembling an octopus with intricate swirls and patterns.

Research

Growing liver implants, mapping the sense of smell, and journalism at risk