Aubrey Lewis
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Sir Aubrey Julian Lewis (8 November 1900 – 21 January 1975), was a British-Australian psychiatrist. He was the first Professor of Psychiatry at the
Institute of Psychiatry The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) is a centre for mental health and neuroscience research, education and training in Europe. It is dedicated to understanding, preventing and treating mental illness, neurological co ...
, London (now part of
King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...
), and is credited with being a driving force behind the flowering of British psychiatry after
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as well as raising the profile of the profession worldwide.


Early life

Aubrey Julian Lewis was born on 8 November 1900 in
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
, the only child of Jewish parents George Solomon Lewis (died 23 May 1931), an English accountant known only as George Lewis, and his South Australian-born wife Rachel "Ré" Lewis (née Isaacs), a sister of Levi Isaacs, prominent member of Adelaide's Jewish community. Ré and Levi were among six children who were brought out to South Australia from
Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...
by their parents Solomon Isaacs (c. 1830 – 30 August 1913) and his wife Pauline (c. 1830 – 14 July 1923) aboard the ship ''Sophia'' around 1865 German barque ''Sophia'' arrived from Hamburg 24 August 1866. George Lewis married Ré Isaacs, elocution teacher and Adelaide Synagogue's longtime Sabbath School teacher, at the Synagogue on 16 August 1899. Lewis was educated at Christian Brothers College, Wakefield Street, Adelaide, where he proved to be a gifted pupil. He studied medicine at the
University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...
and graduated with distinction in 1923 (M.B., B.S.).Michael Shepherd, "Lewis, Sir Aubrey Julian (1900–1975)", ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Vol. 15, Melbourne University Press, 2000, pp. 91–92.


Career

Lewis worked at the
Royal Adelaide Hospital The Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), colloquially known by its initials or pronounced as "the Rah", is South Australia's largest hospital, owned by the state government as part of Australia's public health care system. The RAH provides tertiary hea ...
for two years while undertaking physical anthropological research on
Aboriginal Australians Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrated to Australia (co ...
, in 1925 making detailed observations of twenty-six aborigines to record colour of hair, eyes and skin, ear formation, eyebrow ridges and what he termed 'personality characteristics'. In 1926 he accepted a
Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller (" ...
fellowship in psychological medicine. This brought him to the Phipps Clinic under the mentorship of Adolf Meyer, whom he respected and admired greatly, and whose work he praised in lectures such as the Adolf Meyer Lecture in 1960.Michael Shepherd, "Aubrey Lewis 1900–1975", ''American Journal of Psychiatry'', 132:8, August 1975, p. 872. This was the start of two years postgraduate study performed in the US and thence on to Germany. Lewis then moved to the United Kingdom and joined the staff of the
Maudsley Hospital The Maudsley Hospital is a British psychiatric hospital in south London. The Maudsley is the largest mental health training institution in the UK. It is part of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and works in partnership with the I ...
London in 1928. In 1931, he received his M.D. from the
University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...
and in 1936 he became Clinical Director of the Maudsley Hospital. In 1938, he became a fellow of the
Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...
. Lewis was a prominent member of the Eugenics Society. A chapter he contributed to a 1934 book on ''The Chances of Morbid Inheritance'' (edited by Carlos Blacker) has been described as "remarkable for its total admiration for the German work and workers". Particularly remarkable was Lewis' ardent enthusiasm for the sterilization and racial hygiene policies being championed at the time by one of Hitler's favorite scientists, the Nazi eugenicist
Ernst Rudin Ernst is both a surname and a given name, the German, Dutch, and Scandinavian form of Ernest. Notable people with the name include: Surname * Adolf Ernst (1832–1899) German botanist known by the author abbreviation "Ernst" * Anton Ernst (born ...
. In his chapter, Lewis advocated state measures to limit genetic transmission by "many tramps, criminals, swindlers, irresponsibles and chronic dependants, agitators, hysterics - a large part of the social problem group."


Institute of Psychiatry

In 1946, the
Maudsley Hospital The Maudsley Hospital is a British psychiatric hospital in south London. The Maudsley is the largest mental health training institution in the UK. It is part of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and works in partnership with the I ...
's medical school was re-designated the
Institute of Psychiatry The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) is a centre for mental health and neuroscience research, education and training in Europe. It is dedicated to understanding, preventing and treating mental illness, neurological co ...
under the auspices of the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
and Lewis was appointed to the inaugural Chair of Psychiatry at the institute. He held this post until his retirement in 1966. It has been said that the flowering of British psychiatry after
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
can be attributed to three factors: a long humanitarian tradition; the
National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...
and Aubrey Lewis. Lewis built a reputation as a leader, educator and administrator and is credited with moulding the Institute into a model of scientific research and teaching attracting many of the most promising medical graduates from around the world. He is also credited with raising the profile of psychiatry worldwide, through his work as an adviser to general medical bodies, national and international research councils, and political organisations. He was a member of the Advisory Committee on Medical Research of the
World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
. Many esteemed psychiatrists worked under the direction of Lewis at the
Institute of Psychiatry The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) is a centre for mental health and neuroscience research, education and training in Europe. It is dedicated to understanding, preventing and treating mental illness, neurological co ...
, including Martin Roth and Michael Shepherd; the latter was at great pains to point out that Lewis's impact also extended to his contributions as a clinician, scholar and researcher, particularly in the field of epidemiology, but also
genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinians, Augustinian ...
, clinical phenomenology and
biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...
. He was perhaps best known for his studies of melancholia and obsessional illness, and indeed guided the young Michael Shepherd on his research into morbid jealousy.


Honours and awards

*
Knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...
(1959) *International Member of the
American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...
(1961) * Honorary fellow of the
Royal College of Psychiatrists The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the main professional organisation of psychiatrists in the United Kingdom, and is responsible for representing psychiatrists, for psychiatric research and for providing public information about mental healt ...
(1972)


Personal life

Lewis had an austere appearance, captured in Ruskin Spear's official portrait of 1966. But to those who knew him his high standards of personal and professional integrity went with a warm, kindly, humorous disposition which earned him the affection of colleagues and friends. Michael Shepherd described him as a "representative man" in Emerson's sense of the term.A representative man being the rare individual who provides "a collyrium to clear our eyes from egotism".


Publications

*''The State of Psychiatry''; ''Inquiries in Psychiatry'' (London, 1967) *''The Later Papers of Sir Aubrey'' Lewis (Oxford, 1977)


Further reading

*M. Shepherd and D. L. Davies (eds), ''Studies in Psychiatry'' (London, 1968); *M. Shepherd, A Representative Psychiatrist (Cambridge, England, 1986); *M. Shepherd, Sir Aubrey Lewis (Melbourne, 1991); ''Psychiatry and Social Science Review'', 3, 1969, p. 6; *''Journal of Psychiatric Research'', 17, 1983, p. 93; *''The Times'' (London), 22 January 1975; *''Advertiser'' (Adelaide), 10 March 1990.


References


External links


A pioneering partnership: Aubrey and Hilda Lewis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Aubrey 1900 births 1975 deaths 20th-century British medical doctors Australian Jews Australian psychiatrists British eugenicists Australian eugenicists Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Fellows of the Royal College of Psychiatrists History of mental health in the United Kingdom Jewish eugenicists Jewish physicians Knights Bachelor International members of the American Philosophical Society Physicians of the Maudsley Hospital University of Adelaide Medical School alumni Medical doctors from Adelaide Obsessive–compulsive disorder researchers