George Brock Chisholm (18 May 1896 – 4 February 1971) was a Canadian psychiatrist, medical practitioner,
World War I veteran, and the first director-general of the
World Health Organization (WHO). He was the 13th Canadian
Surgeon General and the recipient of
numerous accolades, including
Order of Canada,
Order of the British Empire,
Military Cross
The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries.
The MC i ...
, and
Efficiency Decoration.
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Background
Brock Chisholm was born on 18 May 1896, in
Oakville,
Ontario, to a family with deep ties to the region. Under
Sir Isaac Brock
Major-General Sir Isaac Brock KB (6 October 1769 – 13 October 1812) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Guernsey. Brock was assigned to Lower Canada in 1802. Despite facing desertions and near-mutinies, he com ...
, his
great-grandfather
Grandparents, individually known as grandmother and grandfather, are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually-reproducing living organism who is not a genetic chimera has a maximum of four genetic gr ...
fought against the
Americans
Americans are the citizens and nationals of the United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many dual citizens, expatriates, and permanent residents could also legally claim Ameri ...
during the
War of 1812. His great grandfather’s brother, William, was Oakville’s founder. His father was Frank Chisholm, who ran a coal yard.
He had a Presbyterian upbringing.
Career
Canada
In 1915 during the
First World War, age 18, Chisholm joined the
Canadian Expeditionary Force
The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry divis ...
, serving in the
15th Battalion, CEF as a
cook
Cook or The Cook may refer to:
Food preparation
* Cooking, the preparation of food
* Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food
* Cook (professional), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry
* ...
,
sniper
A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...
,
machine gunner and
scout. His leadership and heroism were twice rewarded (after being twice wounded): with a
Military Cross
The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries.
The MC i ...
for his efforts in a battle outside of
Lens
A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements''), ...
,
France; and the Bar. He rose to the rank of
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
, was injured once, and returned home in 1917.
After the war, Chisholm pursued his lifelong passion of
medicine, earning his
MD from the
University of Toronto by 1924 before interning in
England, where he specialized in
psychiatry. After six years in private practice in his native Oakville, he attended
Yale University where he specialized in the mental health of children. During this time, Chisholm developed his strong view that children should be raised in an "as intellectually free environment" as possible, independent of the prejudices and biases (political, moral and religious) of their parents.
At the outbreak of the
Second World War, Chisholm rapidly rose in stature within the Canadian military and government. He joined the war effort as a
psychiatrist dealing with psychological aspects of soldier training, before rising to the rank of Director General Medical Services, the highest position within the medical ranks of the
Canadian Army. He was the first psychiatrist to head the medical ranks of any army in the world.
In 1944, the Canadian Government created the position of Deputy Minister of Health. Chisholm was the first person to occupy the post and held it until 1946.
WHO
In 1946, Chisholm became executive secretary of the Interim Commission of the
World Health Organization (WHO), based in
Geneva,
Switzerland. The WHO succeeded the
League of Nations's Health Organization. Chishom was one of 16 international experts consulted in drafting the agency's first constitution. He recommended the WHO's name, with emphasis on "world." He defined health for the WHO as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." The WHO charter also established that health is a fundamental human right and that "the health of all peoples is fundamental to the attainment of peace and security."
The WHO became a permanent
UN fixture in April 1948, and Chisholm became the agency's first Director General on a 46–2 vote. Chisholm was now in the unique position of being able to bring his views on the importance of international mental and physical health to the world. Refusing re-election, he occupied the post until 1953, during which time the WHO dealt successfully with a
cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...
epidemic in
Egypt,
malaria outbreaks in
Greece and
Sardinia, and introduced shortwave epidemic-warning services for ships at sea.
Later career
Chisholm served as president of the
World Federation of Mental Health (1957–58).
Beliefs
Chisholm was a controversial public speaker who nevertheless spoke with great conviction, and drew much criticism from the Canadian public for comments inspired by his communist beliefs in the mid-1940s that children should not be encouraged to believe in
Santa Claus
Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...
, the Bible or anything he regarded as
supernaturalism. Calls for his resignation as Deputy Minister of Health were quelled by his appointment as Executive Secretary of the WHO, but his public perception as "Canada's most famously articulate angry man" lingered.
Religious and other conservative writers and groups have accused Chisholm of being a Marxist or a Communist or subversive.
Others placed Chisholm among three prominent
Humanists who early on headed important
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...
agencies:
Julian Huxley
Sir Julian Sorell Huxley (22 June 1887 – 14 February 1975) was an English evolutionary biologist, eugenicist, and internationalist. He was a proponent of natural selection, and a leading figure in the mid-twentieth century modern synthesis. ...
of
UNESCO and
John Boyd-Orr of the
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). At least one conservative women's group in Southern California considered Chisholm to be the
Anti-Christ
In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist refers to people prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus Christ and substitute themselves in Christ's place before the Second Coming. The term Antichrist (including one plural form)1 John ; . 2 John . i ...
.
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Personal and death
On 21 June 1924, Chisholm married Grace McLean Ryrie. They had two children, Catherine Anne and Brock Ryrie.
On 4 February 1971, Chisholm died age 74 in Veterans' Hospital,
Victoria, British Columbia, after a series of strokes.
Honors, awards
Chisholm's honors and awards include:
* 1945: Medal of the
Pasteur Institute
* 1953: Lasker Award
* 1957: Honorary President of the
World Federalist Movement-Canada
The World Federalist Movement — Canada (WFMC) is a member organization of the World Federalist Movement, a global citizens movement dedicated to promoting institutions of world governance. WFMC has a national headquarters in Ottawa, and active ...
* 1959: Humanist of the Year (
American Humanist Association
The American Humanist Association (AHA) is a non-profit organization in the United States that advances secular humanism.
The American Humanist Association was founded in 1941 and currently provides legal assistance to defend the constitution ...
)
* 1967: Companion of the
Order of Canada
He was an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, of the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Public Health Association among others.
Legacy
At his death, the ''New York Times'' remembered Chisholm as a "small-town doctor who became director general of the World Health Organization" and also called him "Prophet of Disaster."
Historica Canada notes he was an early leader in warning about the "danger of pollution, overpopulation, and the nuclear arms race."
Works
* ''Social responsibility, and three memorial papers by Gordon W. Allport'' (New York: Association Press, 1948)
* ''World health problems. Barriers to world health'' (New York:
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) is a nonpartisan international affairs think tank headquartered in Washington D.C. with operations in Europe, South and East Asia, and the Middle East as well as the United States. Founded in ...
, 1953)
* ''Nations are learning to live together'' (Vancouver: University of British Columbia, 1954)
* ''Prescription for survival'' (New York: Columbia University Press, 1957)
* ''Can people learn to learn? How to know each other'' (New York: Harper, 1958)
See also
*
World Health Organization (WHO)
*
Surgeon General (Canada)
The Surgeon General ( French: ''médecin-général'') is the professional head of the Canadian military health jurisdiction, the adviser to the Minister of National Defence and the Chief of Defence Staff on all matters related to health, and h ...
*
List of books, articles and documentaries about snipers
References
External links
Smithsonian Institution Archives Photo of Brock Chisholm
Canadian Great War ProjectCaptain George Brock Chisholm
* .
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chisholm, Brock
Canadian psychiatrists
Canadian military personnel of World War I
University of Toronto alumni
Canadian agnostics
Canadian Unitarians
Canadian secularists
Companions of the Order of Canada
1896 births
1971 deaths
Canadian recipients of the Military Cross
People from Oakville, Ontario
Canadian Expeditionary Force officers
Surgeons General of Canada
Canadian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
World Health Organization officials
Mind control theorists
Canadian officials of the United Nations
Canadian Army generals of World War II
Canadian generals
Canadian military personnel from Ontario
Yale University alumni
Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps officers
48th Highlanders of Canada