The History of Ritalin and ADHD
In 1937, a psychiatrist by the name of Charles Bradley prescribed amphetamines to 32 children with behaviour problems who were suffering from extreme headaches as a result of a procedure called pneumoencephalography (ie. spinal tap – analyzing fluid in the spine). He was hoping the amphetamines would relieve the pain. The amphetamine (benzedrine) did little for the headaches, but teachers noted 17 of the children experienced a striking improvement in their school work and behaviour. The children themselves noted their improvement and called the medicine “arithmetic pills”
Bradley published his observations in several medical journals but 25 years passed before anyone attempted to replicate his observations and another couple decades passed before stimulants (ritalin) became widely used for ADHD.