John 'Jack' Gordon Clark (1926–1999) was a

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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 ...

known for his research on the alleged damaging effects of

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s. He was the target of harassment from the Church of Scientology after he testified against it to the

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legislature in 1976.John Clark, 73, Psychiatrist Who Studied Sects, ''

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'', October 18, 1999, Eric Nagourney, "The Church of Scientology objected strongly to Clark's assertions, and the church and Clark battled in court. Clark said the church had engaged in a campaign of harassment against him. In 1988, he settled with the church and received an undisclosed amount of money, but agreed never to discuss the group publicly again." The ''

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'', when naming him 1991 psychiatrist of the year, described him as ''"a quiet, courageous man of conviction, who was fighting an all-too-lonely and unappreciated battle against well-financed, ruthless organizations."''

Works

* Clark, John G. ''Cults.'' Journal of the American Medical Association. 242, 279–281. 1979 * Clark, John G.: ''On the further study of destructive cultism.'' In Halperin (ed.), 363–368

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, John Gordon 1926 births 1999 deaths Harvard Medical School alumni Harvard Medical School faculty American psychiatrists Critics of Scientology Researchers of new religious movements and cults Mind control theorists 20th-century American physicians