Dr Isabella McDougall Robertson (died May 1967), also known as Lady Frankau, was a British

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...

who specialised in alcohol and drug addiction and became known for prescribing controlled drugs. After the death of her first husband, Gordon Cunningham, she married the eminent surgeon

Claude Frankau Sir Claude Howard Stanley Frankau CBE DSO FRCS (11 February 1883 – 29 June 1967) was a distinguished British surgeon long associated with St George’s Hospital. In 1937 he was President of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain an ...

(1883–1967) in 1935. When her husband was knighted in the 1945 New Years Honours, Isabella Frankau became known as "Lady Frankau" in accordance with accepted usage. As Dr Isabella Robertson, she was one of the first researchers at 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 ...

, initially working with Frederick Mott and Frederick Golla on the physical basis of

psychoses In psychopathology, psychosis is a condition in which a person is unable to distinguish, in their experience of life, between what is and is not real. Examples of psychotic symptoms are delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized or incoher ...

. During the

Second World War 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 ...

, she worked at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

's Psychological Laboratory on the use of dietary supplements to improve the physical performance of servicemen. In the early 1950s she researched the use of subconvulsive electroshock therapy treatment for alcoholism. A London-based "society doctor",Pop & Jazz: As though he had wings
Independent she became widely known in the 1960s as a prescriber of

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...

. Her readiness to prescribe controlled drugs is credited with single-handedly addicting many British people. From evidence she gave to the

Brain Committee The Interdepartmental Committee on Drug Addiction, commonly called the Brain Committee after its chairman Sir Russell Brain, was created by the Home Office in 1958 to consider issues related to drugs and drug addiction in the United Kingdom. The ...

, she said the total between 1958 and 1964 was just over 500. After Frankau's death in 1967, John Petro largely took over her practice as a prescriber to heroin addicts; he was

struck off The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public" by co ...

in 1968.

References

External links

"Pop & Jazz: As though he had wings"
independent.co.uk.

''The Sunday Telegraph'', 28 February 1999.
"Healing the dragon disorder: Heroin use disorder intervention", Psychology PhD thesis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frankau, Isabella Year of birth unknown 1967 deaths British psychiatrists British women psychiatrists History of mental health in the United Kingdom Substance dependence Wives of knights