Elliot Spiro Valenstein (December 9, 1923 – January 12, 2023) was an American psychologist who was

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

and

neuroscience Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions, and its disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, ...

at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. He is a noted authority on

brain stimulation Brain stimulation may refer to: * ''Brain Stimulation'', a medical journal published by Elsevier *Brain stimulation reward, a process of directly stimulating reward centers in the brain *Cranial electrotherapy stimulation * Deep brain stimulation, ...

psychosurgery Psychosurgery, also called neurosurgery for mental disorder (NMD), is the neurosurgical treatment of mental disorders. Psychosurgery has always been a controversial medical field. The modern history of psychosurgery begins in the 1880s under ...

and the history of psychiatry.

Biography

Valenstein was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on December 9, 1923, to Louis and Helen Valenstein (formally Spiro). He fought in

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 ...

. After returning from the war he attended

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...

for his B.S. and

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

for his

M.A Ma, MA, or mA may refer to: Academia * Master of Arts, a degree award * Marin Academy, a high school in San Rafael, California * Menlo-Atherton High School, a public high school in Atherton, California * Minnehaha Academy, a private high schoo ...

and

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

. Valenstein was the chief of the neuropsychology section at

Walter Reed Walter Reed (September 13, 1851 – November 23, 1902) was a United States Army, U.S. Army physician who in 1901 led the team that confirmed the theory of Cuban doctor Carlos Finlay that yellow fever is transmitted by a particular mosquito ...

Institute Research from 1957 to 1961. He started teaching at

in 1970. Valenstein was married to Thelma Lewis from 1947 until her death on December 13, 2020. They have two children together; Paul and Carl. Valenstein died in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

, on January 12, 2023, at the age of 99.

Published books

* ''Brain Control: A Critical Examination of Brain Stimulation and

Psychosurgery Psychosurgery, also called neurosurgery for mental disorder (NMD), is the neurosurgical treatment of mental disorders. Psychosurgery has always been a controversial medical field. The modern history of psychosurgery begins in the 1880s under ...

'' (1973) * ''Brain Stimulation and Motivation: Research and Commentary'' (Ed.) (1973) * ''Great and Desperate Cures: The Rise and Decline of psychosurgery and other Radical Treatments for Mental Illness'' (1986), * ''Blaming the Brain: The Truth About Drugs and Mental Health'' (1998) * ''The War of the Soups and the Sparks: The Discovery of Neurotransmitters and the Dispute over how Nerves Communicate'' (2005)

References

External links

Faculty Page at University of Michigan

- 'Better Living Through Lobotomy: What can the history of psychosurgery tell us about medicine today? An Interview with Elliot Valenstein', Allison Xantha Miller (Fall, 2003) {{DEFAULTSORT:Valenstein, Elliott 1923 births 2023 deaths 20th-century American psychologists 21st-century American psychologists American neuroscientists University of Michigan faculty American military personnel of World War II City College of New York alumni University of Kansas alumni Health professionals from New York City

Biography

Published books

See also

References

External links