Because peyote produces what has been described as a “mescal psychosis,”
it has been suggested that it might be a useful approach for the
psychiatrist in the study of schizophrenia. The production of “horrible
depressions” in a subject of Prentiss and Morgan and “fear that his life
was leaving him,” as well as the unaccountable hilarity of Wertham and
Bleuler’s subject, suggests a similar value, if any, in the study of
manic-depressive psychoses too. No doubt psychoses may be exteriorized
with increased facility in peyote intoxication, but this strikes one as a
crude method and subject to the introduction of extraneous factors over
which there is no control.[38]
Hutchings used pellotine as a hypnotic on psychotic patients in the St.
Lawrence State Hospital. Pilcz likewise reports this use of peyote as
a sedative for the insane, but Warburg states that these experiments
have met with little success, on account of the by-effects of the
alkaloids. Dr. Goodall of the Carmarthen Asylum, according to Havelock
Ellis, tried peyote on melancholic and stuporous patients, but “beyond
dilation of pupils and rapidity [!] of heart action, the results were
nil.” Martindale and Westcott report that formerly peyote was used in
neurasthenia, hysteria and asthma; it is hard to see in some cases where
the cure is any superior to the disease, however. Briau employed peyote
in “anxiety states,” but the extremely variable emotional states under
peyote intoxication make even tentative conclusions precarious.[39]
Indeed, peyote would be calculated to aggravate asthma and anxiety states
under some circumstances!
Bensheim found different mescal reactions in cycloids and schizoids, but
Wertham and Bleuler somewhat surprisingly discovered both reactions in a
single person, and argued for the inconstancy of the formal structure of
the “personality.” Probably, however, peyote had no definitive importance
in either case though the former used only mescaline and the latter
pan-peyotl. Zucker induced mescaline intoxication in the hallucinated
insane, but far too many variables appear to be involved here. Zador
conducted experiments on the blind and patients with disordered vision,
using mescaline, the chief hallucination-producing alkaloid of peyote.
Klüver discussed color predominance in reported visions (red-green in the
initial phases, blue-yellow later). This suggests selective action of
the alkaloids on various regions of the retina, evidence bearing on the
Ladd-Franklin phylogenetic theory of color vision. Possibly, too, colors
predominant in peyote-symbolisms of natives may have a physiological
meaning. Klüver’s “form-constants” in peyote-intoxication may have
similar significance, but he dealt largely with White visions only.[40]