Tag: electroconvulsive therapy
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Dr. Ugo Cerletti invents electroconvulsive therapy
Howard Fischer Uppsala, Sweden “Is it even possible, is it logical, is it reasonable for us to treat people who have lost their mind by making them live amongst others who have lost theirs too?”1 – Ugo Cerletti, M.D., 1949 Electroconvulsive therapy machine on display at Glenside Museum. Photo by Rodw on Wikimedia.…
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Electroconvulsive therapy: Misunderstood, yet effective
Angelina Koh Melbourne, Australia “Winwick Hospital, Electroconvulsive therapy, 1957.” University of Liverpool Faculty of Health & Life Sciences on Flickr. CC BY-SA 2.0. Introduction Amongst all the treatments in psychiatry, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is perhaps the most misunderstood and controversial.1 Its portrayal in popular media and misuse in history have contributed to its reputation,…
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Mental hospital memories of another era
Robert Craig Brisbane, Queensland, Australia The former St. Audry’s Hospital. Photo by Adrian S Pye. CC BY-SA 2.0. In 1964, having obtained a place to study medicine at Cambridge University, I was given the opportunity as a medical student to work as an assistant nurse for three months in a large residential mental hospital…
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Rage against the machine
Kaitlin Kan Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States Isle of Lethe, zentangle. Drawing by Kaitlin Kan. It was almost as if the neuromodulation clinic was the machine itself. The entire ward was U-shaped, with each arm housing preparation and recovery and the treatment suite nestled in the middle. Each patient was scheduled to the moment; nurses…
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Ada English: the forgotten fighter
Laura King Atlanta, GA, United States Photograph of Irish Politician Ada English. Via Wikimedia. CC BY-SA 4.0. A reformer of psychiatric care, a fighter for Irish independence, and a forgotten figure in Irish history—that was Dr. Adeline (Ada) English. As a female physician working in Ireland from the beginning to the middle of the…
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Political obfuscation and medical speculation
Charles G. Kels San Antonio, Texas, United States Grover Cleveland, 22nd (1885–1889) and 24th President (1893–1897) of the United States, with trademark mustache intact. He is the only US president to serve non-consecutive terms. National Archives, Washington, D.C., USA. Public domain. Politicians have long endeavored to keep their health concerns secret. In US presidential…