Who Is Louis Jolyon West? Age, Biography and Wiki
Louis Jolyon West was born on October 6, 1924, making him an iconic figure in the field of psychiatry. As of 2025, he would be 101 years old, having dedicated his life to understanding the human mind and its intricacies. West was renowned for his innovative contributions to psychiatry, including his research on the effects of hypnotism and the psychological aspects of the drug experience. His legacy continues to influence the field, promoting breakthroughs in mental health treatment.
| Occupation | Psychiatrists |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | October 6, 1924 |
| Age | 74 Years |
| Birth Place | Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Libra |
| Country | U.S |
| Date of death | 2 January, 1999 |
| Died Place | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Popularity
Louis Jolyon West's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
Details regarding Louis Jolyon West's height and weight have not been extensively documented in public discourse. However, considering his stature as a significant mental health figure, it is evident that his personality, intellect, and contributions to society greatly outweighed any singular physical characteristic.
One of the more unusual incidents in West's career took place in August 1962. He and two co-workers attempted to investigate the phenomenon of musth in elephants by dosing Tusko, a bull elephant at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Oklahoma City, with LSD.
They expected that the drug would trigger a state similar to musth; instead, the animal began to have seizures 5 minutes after LSD was administered. Beginning twenty minutes later, West and his colleagues administered the antipsychotic promazine hydrochloride; they injected a total of 2800 mg over 11 minutes.
This large promazine dose was not effective and may have contributed to the animal's death. It died an hour and 40 minutes after the LSD was given. Later, many theories developed about why Tusko had died.
Some researchers thought that West and his colleagues had made the mistake of scaling up the dose in proportion to the animal's body weight, rather than its brain weight, and without considering other factors, such as its metabolic rate.
Another theory was that while the LSD had caused Tusko distress, the drugs administered in an attempt to revive him caused death. Attempting to prove that the LSD alone had not been the cause of death, Ronald K.
Siegel of UCLA repeated a variant of West's experiment on two elephants; he administered to two elephants equivalent doses (in milligrams per kilogram) to that which had been given to Tusko, mixing the LSD in their drinking water rather than directly injecting it.
Neither elephant expired or exhibited any great distress, although both behaved strangely for a number of hours.
Family, Dating & Relationship status
Louis Jolyon West was known to be private about his personal life. Throughout his career, he focused largely on his work and contributions to mental health treatment. Although there is limited publicly available information regarding his romantic relationships, West was married to his wife, with whom he shared a life devoted to understanding and improving mental health conditions.
West disclosed his treatment of National Football League flanker and University of Oklahoma alumnus Lance Rentzel after he was arrested twice (in 1966 and 1970) for indecent exposure to young girls in the epilogue of When All the Laughter Died in Sorrow, the athlete's 1972 memoir.
(West's family had been acquainted with Rentzel's family during their time at the university.) Noting that "it is most unusual for a psychiatrist to permit his relationship with a patient to become public knowledge," West acknowledged that Rentzel "had many injuries, including a number of severe concussions," presaging contemporary medicine's great
er understanding of chronic traumatic encephalopathy among American football players.
He also asserted that he was "required to make periodic reports of [Rentzel's] progress to several public and private agencies."
Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Louis Jolyon West’s net worth is difficult to quantify due to the nature of his professional endeavors being primarily academic and non-commercial. Throughout his notable career, he was likely compensated well for his work in academia and research. His contributions to psychiatry have paved the way for numerous advancements in treatment methods, etching his place in history as a highly respected psychiatrist.
As a friend of Hugh Hefner, Rentzel went on to reside at the Playboy Mansion in the late 1970s.
In his 2022 memoir, former Mansion butler Stefan Tetenbaum wrote that he saw Rentzel "[masturbate] in front of the primates" at the Mansion zoo, and alleged that Hefner "thought Lance could be cured, by allowing him to be free to explore himself sexually ...
Lance constantly walked and ran about the Mansion grounds with his penis hanging out of his shorts ... We were instructed not to pay attention to his public [masturbation]." It is not known if Rentzel was domiciled at the Playboy Mansion through the intercession of West.
Career, Business, and Investments
Louis Jolyon West had an illustrious career spanning several decades. He served as a professor of psychiatry at various prestigious institutions and was instrumental in several groundbreaking studies related to mental health. West's work extended beyond academia; he investigated the psychological effects of psychedelics and the implications for psychiatry. His legacy includes a commitment to ethical psychiatric practices and advocacy for patients with mental illnesses.
West worked in the United States Air Force as a medical officer. He pioneered research into brainwashing techniques employed against American prisoners of war (POWs) by their captors. His research exonerated U.S. servicemen under suspicion of treason for making false confessions during the Korean War era.
This brought him to the attention of the CIA. West became involved in research into the use and abuse of LSD and other drugs, becoming a contractor for MKUltra, a CIA mind control project in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1954, at the age of 29, West became a full professor and chair of psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine.
In 1967, West operated in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district to conduct research into the hippie movement there. From 1969 to 1989, West served as chair of psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine and director of the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute.
Social Network
Though Louis Jolyon West may not have utilized social media in the traditional sense known today, his legacy continues through numerous publications and recognized professional affiliations. Scholars, students, and professionals in psychiatry and psychology regularly engage in discussions regarding his work and findings. His contributions remain a critical part of academic classrooms and conferences focused on mental health.
In 1954, at the age of 29 and with no previous post-residency fellowship or tenure-track appointment, he became a full professor and chair of psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. Along with friend Charlton Heston, he supported the Civil Rights Movement, frequently participating in sit-ins and rallies in Oklahoma City.
West commuted between Lackland AFB and Oklahoma City until he was discharged in July 1956, at which time he became OU's full-time chief of psychiatry.
Education
West received his medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His education in psychiatry laid a solid foundation for his remarkable career, allowing him to dive deep into research and clinical practice. Over the years, he pursued further training and education that would lead him to become a recognized authority in his field.
In summary, Louis Jolyon West's life and career are a testament to dedication and innovation in psychiatry. His efforts continue to reverberate through the fields of mental health and psychiatry, and his legacy is celebrated by those who follow in his footsteps.
He grew up in poverty in Madison, Wisconsin, and was a graduate of Madison East High School. He subsequently attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison for a year and, after completing prerequisite coursework at the University of Iowa under the aegis of the Army Specialized Training Program during World War II, earned his M.D.
from the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1949. Thereafter, he completed his residency at the Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic of Cornell University on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in 1952.
