Kate Fraser

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(10 August 1887 – 20 March 1957) was a pioneering Scottish

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 sought to improve the well being and treatment of mentally ill patients. She was the first female Deputy Commissioner for the General Board of Control for Scotland in 1914 and Commissioner in 1935.

Early life and education

Kate Fraser was born on 10 August 1887 in Paisley. Her parents were Margaret Coats, a member of the town's mill-owning family, and Donald Fraser, a doctor. She had 4 sisters. She was educated at Miss Boag's School for Young Ladies and

Paisley Grammar School Paisley Grammar School is a secondary school in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Paisley, the largest town in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The school was founded in 1576 by royal charter of James VI of Scotland, King James VI and is situated on Glasgow Road. T ...

, going on to

Swanley Horticultural College Swanley Horticultural College, founded in , was a college of horticulture in Hextable, Kent, England. It originally took only male students but by 1894 the majority of students were female and it became a women-only institution in 1903. Early his ...

. In 1894, aged 16, she enrolled at the art faculty of the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

, later transferring to the science faculty. In 1900, she graduated with a BSc with a distinction in

physiology Physiology (; ) is the science, scientific study of function (biology), functions and mechanism (biology), mechanisms in a life, living system. As a branches of science, subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ syst ...

, followed by her

MBChB A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

in 1903. In 1908, Fraser took a Diploma in Public Health. Her thesis for her 1913 MD was titled "Feeble-minded Children. An inquiry into a mental deficiency in school children with special reference to

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms depend on the stage it presents: primary, secondary, latent syphilis, latent or tertiary. The prim ...

as a causative factor as determined by the Wassermann reaction".

Career

After graduating, Fraser took a position as assistant physician at the Bridge of Weir Sanitorium, later becoming a junior resident at The Crichton Royal in Dumfries, a psychiatric hospital that encouraged patients to participate in activities. In 1907, she founded the Paisley Mental Welfare Association. As the first woman School Medical Officer in Govan from 1908, Fraser introduced intelligence tests in schools. Fraser was the first female Deputy Commissioner for the General Board of Control for Scotland in 1914 and Commissioner in 1935. In this role, she petitioned for those with mental health conditions to be included in the Disabled Person's Employment Act (1958). Fraser retired from this position in 1945. During the Second World War, Fraser put in place a rehabilitation scheme for servicemen who had been discharged on medical grounds. Fraser also had a long association with Waverley Park Home in Dunbartonshire. Fraser and Aidan Thomson co-authored ''Inquiry into Matters Arising out of the Methods of Discipline used at Waverley Park Certified Institution'' in 1938, in response to allegations of abuse. In 1947, Fraser retired from her role as Commissioner of the General Board of Control for Scotland and became Chair of the

Scottish Association for Mental Health Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

(SAMH) and Chairman of the Scottish Division of the Royal Medico-Psychological Association.

Personal life

Fraser never married and lived with her housekeeper until her death in Paisley on 20 March 1957.

Legacy

Fraser gained an international reputation for her work in mental healthcare. The Scottish Association for Mental Health was based on the model for the Paisley Mental Welfare Association.

Awards and honours

Fraser was appointed a CBE for her contribution to mental welfare at the age of 68.

References

External links

The Scottish Association for Mental Health
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Kate 1887 births 1957 deaths Alumni of the University of Glasgow History of mental health in the United Kingdom People from Paisley, Renfrewshire 20th-century Scottish medical doctors Scottish psychiatrists British women psychiatrists Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century Scottish women medical doctors