Many of the great discoveries in psychopharmacology came about by serendipity, for instance, when doctors noticed that a new tuberculosis drug lifted patients’ mood, and wondered whether it might be helpful as an antidepressant. Or when a researcher working on a penicillin preservative recognized that the test animals became very quiescent and thought it might be used as a tranquilizer. Most of these cases came about by one particular type of serendipity—when a single individual made a chance observation and realized that there was an implication that others had not seen. Here, we look at another type of serendipitous event: when a casual conversation leads two people to see something neither alone had understood. Let’s examine three examples from pharmacology and biology.

Chloroform as a Surgical Anesthetic
Chloroform was first synthesized in 1831; one of its discoverers had recognized the possibility that it might be useful as an anesthetic, but did not pursue it. Sixteen years later, James Young Simpson, a young Edinburgh obstetrician, was very much interested in finding an anesthetic suitable for childbirth. In 1846 he had learned about ether and had begun using it, but was discouraged by its drawbacks. Among other things, it was very explosive, was irritating to the respiratory system, and often led to vomiting. Then in October 1847, he had a chance conversation with........

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