Abstract

In 1955, Miltown became the first in a series of minor tranquilizing agents to be introduced into general use in North America. Its popularity was instantaneous. Medical journals, popular magazines, and even Hollywood celebrities overwhelmingly endorsed the drug as a safe and effective means of alleviating anxiety and tension. Public demand for the drug also skyrocketed and the use of Miltown quickly went from being a common medical practice to being a mass cultural phenomenon. This thesis explores the Miltown phenomenon in the broader social, economic, and political climate of the 1950s, arguing that there is a direct link between the widespread use of Miltown, especially among middle class women, and the decade's obsession with anxiety, gender role conformity, and social stability.