Paradigm shift or change in ownership? The conceptual significance of D.L. Davies's classic paper

D.L. Davies's paper on 'Normal drinking in recovered alcohol addicts' was published in 1962 (Q.J. Stud. Alcohol, 23, (1962) 94). The 18 commentaries on this report which were published shortly afterwards in the Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol are analysed in terms of the perceived relevance of his findings for clinical practice. This initial and largely negative appraisal of the import of Davies's article is contrasted with later assessments which have seen this study as contributing to a crucial paradigm shift. The question is raised as to whether the concept of paradigm shift can be applied satisfactorily to a field where several different scientific disciplines are defining the nature of the problem, or whether alternatively or in addition the story should be understood in terms of a competition between medicine and psychology for 'ownership' of addiction.