Abstract

The author has reviewed the history of biological theories of depression with a fascinating account of how researchers have argued backward, starting with the neurochemical effects of antidepressants on the monoamine system in the brain, and ending with etiological theories that place the biological cause of depression in disturbances of the monoamine system. He explains how further work in biological etiology has followed the same backward path. In carrying out this task, he has done such an excellent job that I have little to offer as a critique of his work. The author uses a research model developed by Lakatos, and he points out that Lakatos's approach...