Frank Joseph Ayd Jr. (October 14, 1920 – March 21, 2008) was an American psychiatrist known for introducing the first
antipsychotic medications into US clinical practice, being granted the first permit from the
Food and Drug Administration to use
Thorazine for
schizophrenia. He took part in writing more than 50
books and authored over 400 articles. The “Ayd’s Lexicon of Psychiatry, Neurology and the Neurosciences” became a standard reference.
According to the New York Times, he was a chief pioneer in the field of psychopharmacology.
Born in
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...
on October 14, 1920, in the family of a pediatrician, he graduated from
Loyola College in Baltimore and the
University of Maryland School of Medicine
The University of Maryland School of Medicine (abbreviated UMSOM), located in Baltimore City, Maryland, U.S., is the medical school of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and is affiliated with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Me ...
. His work began in pediatrics but soon he was called to active duty by the Navy and assigned to surgery at Bethesda Naval Hospital. Shortly afterwards he moved to the Veterans Hospital in
Perry Point, Maryland and became a psychiatrist. Although initially having no interest in psychiatry, he changed his view and practiced it for the rest of his life, introducing many pharmaceutical agents. Frank Ayd studied, in his words, "practically speaking, every neuroleptic that ever got on the market in this country except for Clozaril and Risperdal".
Books
Recognizing the Depressed Patient, with Essentials F. Ayd; Published by Grune & Stratton, Inc. 1961
References
External links
- New York Times, March 21, 2008; by Douglas Martin.
Interviewed by Leo Hollister, 1994(PDF file)
- profile at medicalalumni.org
Through the Times With Frank J. Ayd Jr., M.D.- Psychiatric Times, 2005
American psychiatrists
1920 births
2008 deaths
Loyola University Maryland alumni
University of Maryland School of Medicine alumni
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