Daniel Frederick Rambaut (6 August 1865 – 30 November 1937) was an Irish psychiatrist, one of the pioneers of modern psychiatry, and an Ireland rugby union international.Obituary, ''Journal of Mental Science'', January 1938

Life

Rambaut was born in

County Waterford County Waterford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the city of Waterford. ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, the fifth son of Rev. Edmund Francis Rambaut, vicar of Christ Church,

Blackrock, County Dublin Blackrock () is an affluent suburb of Dublin, Ireland, northwest of Dún Laoghaire. It is named after the local geological rock formation to be found in the area of Blackrock Park. In the late 18th century, the Blackrock Road was a common place ...

and Madeline Marland. He was educated at

Rathmines School Rathmines School was a Church of Ireland secondary school in the suburb of Rathmines, Dublin: it opened in 1855 and closed in 1899. In all 2,190 pupils attended the school. The school was located at 48 Lower Rathmines Road. The founder of the ...

The Royal School, Armagh The Royal School, Armagh is a co-educational voluntary grammar school, founded in the 17th century, in the city of Armagh in Northern Ireland. It has a boarding department with an international intake. It is a member of the Headmasters' and He ...

and

Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...

, where he obtained first place in his final medical examination. He played rugby (kept secret from his parents, who were concerned that sport might interfere with his studies) for Monkstown and

Dublin University The University of Dublin (), corporately named as The Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a research university located in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dublin, whi ...

and as an international, representing Ireland in 1887 and 1888. He was also a hurdler and a cricketer. He was the hero of the

Lansdowne Road Lansdowne Road Stadium (, ) was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) that was primarily used for rugby union and association football matches. The stadium was demolished in 2007 to make way for the Aviva Stadium on ...

crowd in February 1887, when Ireland beat England at rugby for the first time. He converted two tries, both of which he was instrumental in obtaining, which constituted the only scores of the match. In order to study the

pathology Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

of the

nervous system In biology, the nervous system is the complex system, highly complex part of an animal that coordinates its behavior, actions and sense, sensory information by transmitting action potential, signals to and from different parts of its body. Th ...

he then studied at Wakefield Mental Hospital and at Vienna University. On his return to Ireland he became assistant medical officer and pathologist at the Richmond District Lunatic Asylum,

Grangegorman Grangegorman () is an inner suburb on the Northside, Dublin, northside of Dublin city, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The area is administered by Dublin City Council. It was best known for decades as the location of St. Brendan's Hospital (Gra ...

. In 1913 he was appointed Medical Superintendent of

St Andrew's Hospital St Andrews Hospital is a mental health facility in Northampton, England. It is managed by St Andrew's Healthcare. History Formation The facility was founded by public subscription for "private and pauper lunatics" and opened as the Northampto ...

, Northampton, then the largest private mental hospital in England, where he remained until his death in 1937. He was also President of the Royal Medico-psychological Association in 1934 which later became 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 ...

. He married Esther Graham Ling in 1909. He was a brother of the astronomer Arthur Alcock Rambaut.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rambaut, Daniel Frederick 1865 births 1937 deaths Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Dublin University Football Club players Ireland international rugby union players Irish hurdlers Irish psychiatrists Irish rugby union players Monkstown Football Club players People educated at Rathmines School Rugby union players from County Waterford Athletes from County Waterford Medical doctors from County Waterford Rugby union three-quarters People educated at The Royal School, Armagh