Lewis Ralph Yealland (1884 – 2 March 1954) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

-born therapist who moved to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

to practise medicine during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and was at the forefront of experimental shock techniques to treat

shell shock Shell shock is a term coined in World War I by the British psychologist Charles Samuel Myers to describe the type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) many soldiers were afflicted with during the war (before PTSD was termed). It is a react ...

Early life and education

Yealland qualified from the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thames R ...

in 1912. He was married to Anne "Nancy" Yealland, née Harris (1894 - 1984); she died 21 February 1984 and her ashes were scattered at the Parish of the Ascension Burial Ground in Cambridge.

War work

Yealland moved to London during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and worked at the National Hospital for the

paralyzed Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 5 ...

and

epileptic Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...

, there he mainly dealt with cases of hysteria. Yealland did not consider shell shock an illness, and believed men showing such symptoms displayed a lack of discipline or sense of duty. He practised a form of therapy based on punishment. He was an exponent of auto-suggestion. He gained a reputation for curing and sending his patients back to the trenches quickly. Yealland published his wartime findings in ''Hysterical Disorders of Warfare'' in 1918. Allegedly, Yealland claimed a success rate of 100 per cent, and while his methods of treatment were regarded as particularly unethical by the academic discourse of the 1980s, more recent research suggests that his ill-reputation might have come about owing to an over-representation of successful cases in Yealland's own works.

In popular culture

Lewis Yealland appears in

Pat Barker Patricia Mary W. Barker, (née Drake; born 8 May 1943) is an English writer and novelist. She has won many awards for her fiction, which centres on themes of memory, trauma, survival and recovery. Her work is described as direct, blunt and pl ...

's '' Regeneration'', where he is portrayed unsympathetically, treating a

shell-shocked Shell shock is a term coined in World War I by the British psychologist Charles Samuel Myers to describe the type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) many soldiers were afflicted with during the war (before PTSD was termed). It is a react ...

man suffering from hysterical mutism using

electric shock treatment Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a psychiatric treatment where a generalized seizure (without muscular convulsions) is electrically induced to manage refractory mental disorders.Rudorfer, MV, Henry, ME, Sackeim, HA (2003)"Electroconvulsive th ...

and showing no compassion for his patient.

References

External links

Internet Archive
"Hysterical Disorders of Warfare", Yealland, Lewis R. (Lewis Ralph), Macmillan, London 1918 {{DEFAULTSORT:Yealland, Lewis 1884 births 1954 deaths Physicians from Ontario Canadian expatriates in England Canadian psychiatrists