Henri Laborit (1914-1995) was a French surgeon, neurobiologist, and ethologist, known for his pioneering research in psychopharmacology and human behavior. His career was marked by the introduction of chlorpromazine in the 1950s. Initially using it in a "lytic cocktail" for anesthesia, he discovered its tranquilizing effects, paving the way for its use as the first antipsychotic drug and revolutionizing the treatment of mental illness. Beyond pharmacology, Laborit developed theories on the inhibition of action as a response to stress and studied the neurobiological basis of behavior, exploring the links between biology and social structures. He disseminated his ideas through works such as *Elogio della fuga* (In Praise of Fleeing) and his participation in Alain Resnais's film *My American Uncle* (1980), which made his thinking accessible to a wide audience. For his fundamental contributions to medicine, in 1957 he received the prestigious Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research, considered the American equivalent of the Nobel Prize.