Campbell/Spillane Substance Use Research - Interview with Clifton Himmelsbach

Abstract

As a clinical investigator with the U.S. Public Health Service during the 1930s, Clifton Himmelsbach, M.D., directed the laboratory at the Fort Leavenworth Penitentiary Annex in 1933-34 before establishing the laboratory at the Lexington Narcotics Hospital in 1935. In his early work, Himmelsbach systematically observed and charted withdrawal and abstinence symptoms, thereby laying the foundation for assessing the addictive potential of drugs. An advocate of a multi-disciplinary approach to the problem of addiction, Himmelsbach fostered a unique experimental climate at Lexington, encouraging collaboration and synergistic thinking among the scientists. Dr. Himmelsbach also pioneered the concept of informed consent; he argued that the addicts who served as human subjects in the research at Lexington had much to contribute to the research, often teaching the scientists about drug-taking practices, and that human subjects could gain satisfaction from participating in clinical research. Dr. Himmelsbach died in 1995. Sources: Transcript. “Clifton Keck Himmelsbach” FindAGrave.com. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/53659947/clifton-keck-himmelsbach Accessed 18 Oct 2021. NIH: https://history.nih.gov/display/history/Synthetic+Opiates Accessed 04 Feb 2023