George Morrison Carstairs, (18 June 1916 – 17 April 1991) was a British
psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...
,
anthropologist
An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...
, and academic. He was Professor of Psychological Medicine at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
from 1961 to 1973, President of the
World Mental Health Organization from 1968 to 1972, and Vice-Chancellor of the
University of York
, mottoeng = On the threshold of wisdom
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £8.0 million
, budget = £403.6 million
, chancellor = Heather Melville
, vice_chancellor = Charlie Jeffery
, students ...
from 1973 to 1978.
In his youth, he had been a distinguished long-distance runner.
Early life
Carstairs was born on 18 June 1916 in
Mussoorie
Mussoorie is a hill station and a municipal board, near Dehradun city in the Dehradun district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is about from the state capital of Dehradun and north of the national capital of New Delhi. The hill st ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, then part of the
British Raj
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
*
* it is also called Crown rule in India,
*
*
*
*
or Direct rule in India,
* Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...
.
He was the son of
George Carstairs (died 1948), a
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland.
The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...
missionary, and his wife Elizabeth Huntley Young.
He spent his childhood living in India and became fluent in both English and Hindi.
At the age of ten, he and his family moved to
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, Scotland. He was educated at
George Watson's College
George Watson's College is a co-educational Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day school in Scotland, situated on Colinton Road, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. It was first established as a Scottish education in the eight ...
, then an all-boys
independent school
An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...
in Edinburgh.
He was an accomplished
long-distance runner
Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength.
Within e ...
in his youth. He was the Scottish 3 miles champion in 1937, 1938 and 1939.
He represented Scotland at the
1937 International University Games, winning a silver medal in the
5000 metres
The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...
in a time of 15:24.2. He also represented Scotland at the
1939 International University Games, winning a gold medal in the 5000 metres in a time of 15:20.2. He represented Great Britain at the
1938 European Athletics Championships
The 2nd European Athletics Championships was a continental athletics competition for European athletes which was held in two places in 1938. The men's event took place in Paris, France between 3–5 September while the women's events were in Vien ...
, coming sixth in the
Men's 5000 metres with a time of 14:51.3.
Career
Military service and early medical career
Carstairs went to study medicine at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
. In 1941, during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, he graduated
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...
(MB ChB).
Following graduation, he worked in
general medicine as an assistant physician at the
Royal Edinburgh Hospital
The Royal Edinburgh Hospital is a psychiatric hospital in Morningside Place, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is managed by NHS Lothian.
History
The "foundational myth" has it that the hospital was founded by Dr Andrew Duncan, the elder, Andrew Duncan ...
for a year.
He was then called up for active service as a medical officer with the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
;
and was commissioned into the Medical Branch of the
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) was established in 1936 to support the preparedness of the U.K. Royal Air Force in the event of another war. The Air Ministry intended it to form a supplement to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF ...
on 15 May 1942 as a
flying officer (emergency).
He was promoted to
flight lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...
(
war substantive
Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a m ...
) on 15 May 1943.
In 1946 Carstairs was demobilised .
Field work in India
Carstairs studied anthropology, at Cambridge and in the USA: he learned
social anthropology
Social anthropology is the study of patterns of behaviour in human societies and cultures. It is the dominant constituent of anthropology throughout the United Kingdom and much of Europe, where it is distinguished from cultural anthropology. In t ...
from
E. E. Evans-Pritchard
Sir Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard, Kt FBA FRAI (21 September 1902 – 11 September 1973) was an English anthropologist who was instrumental in the development of social anthropology. He was Professor of Social Anthropology at the University ...
,
Meyer Fortes
Meyer Fortes FBA FRAI (25 April 1906 – 27 January 1983) was a South African-born anthropologist, best known for his work among the Tallensi and Ashanti in Ghana.
Originally trained in psychology, Fortes employed the notion of the "person ...
and
Alexander H. Leighton
Alexander H. Leighton (July 17, 1908 – August 11, 2007) was a sociologist and psychiatrist of dual citizenship (United States, by birth, and Canada, from 1975). He is best known for his work on the Stirling County (Canada) Study and his con ...
.
In 1948–9 he was in the USA as a
Commonwealth Fellow
The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) is an international programme under which Commonwealth governments offer scholarships and fellowships to citizens of other Commonwealth countries.
History
The plan was originally proposed ...
.
He was trained in the "culture and personality" approach to
psychological anthropology
Psychological anthropology is an interdisciplinary subfield of anthropology that studies the interaction of cultural and mental processes. This subfield tends to focus on ways in which humans' development and enculturation within a particular ...
in New York, by
Margaret Mead
Margaret Mead (December 16, 1901 – November 15, 1978) was an American cultural anthropologist who featured frequently as an author and speaker in the mass media during the 1960s and the 1970s.
She earned her bachelor's degree at Barnard Co ...
.
In 1949, Carstairs joined the India Field Project organised by
Gitel P. Steed for
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
. It was run in three Indian villages, referred to by disguised names: Carstairs was almost exclusively concerned with "Deoli" in
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
, where he lived for six months in 1950, and was visited there over the summer by Steed. His residence, after his marriage in December 1950 to Vera Hunt, in Sujarupa, and later visits to India, are noted in the ''
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
''. Two books resulted from this field work, which had
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Carneg ...
funding 1950–1.
Carstairs had a further Henderson research scholarship for support in 1951–2.
On his 1951–2 visit to India, Carstairs brought
mental tests.
He wrote on
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
, his views being influenced by
Melanie Klein
Melanie Klein (née Reizes; 30 March 1882 – 22 September 1960) was an Austrian-British author and psychoanalyst known for her work in child analysis. She was the primary figure in the development of object relations theory. Klein suggested tha ...
and second-generation
Freudianism
PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: + . is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a body of knowledge. In what might be ...
, an approach also adopted by
Philip Spratt. His book ''The Twice-Born'' (1957) on the topic was published by the
Hogarth Press
The Hogarth Press is a book publishing imprint of Penguin Random House that was founded as an independent company in 1917 by British authors Leonard Woolf and Virginia Woolf. It was named after their house in Richmond (then in Surrey and now ...
and had a preface by Margaret Mead.
Psychiatrist
In 1953, Carstairs began his career in
psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry.
Initial psych ...
when he was appointed a
senior registrar
:''This article primarily explains the Senior Registrar doctor grade within the United Kingdom until 1996''
A Senior Registrar was a grade of doctor in the United Kingdom or Ireland before being superseded during reforms in the 1990s. The senior ...
at the
Maudsley Hospital
The Maudsley Hospital is a British psychiatric hospital in south London. The Maudsley is the largest mental health training institution in the UK. It is part of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and works in partnership with the In ...
, a
psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...
in London, England.
There he worked with chronic psychiatric patients under the supervision of
Sir Aubrey Lewis.
During his work, he come to the conclusion that patients with
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...
needed a neutral environment to cope with their condition and returning them to an 'emotionally charged family setting' would only set back their recovery.
He also discovered that improved motivation in patients helped their rehabilitation.
Carstairs received his medical degree from the University of Edinburgh in 1959.
In 1960, he was appointed head of a new
Medical Research Council unit based at
University College London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = ...
. This unit led the study of
psychiatric epidemiology Psychiatric epidemiology is a field which studies the causes ( etiology) of mental disorders in society, as well as conceptualization and prevalence of mental illness. It is a subfield of the more general epidemiology. It has roots in sociological ...
in the United Kingdom.
When he moved to Edinburgh in 1961, he moved the unit with him and continued its research. He stood down as director in 1971, and was followed by
Norman Kreitman
Norman Kreitman (July 5, 1927 - December 15, 2012) was a psychiatric researcher and academic, based in Edinburgh, primarily known for coining the term parasuicide. He was also a published poet of some distinction, and wrote perceptively on the phil ...
.
From 1968 to 1972, he was President of the
World Mental Health Organization.
While holding that post, he was involved in the development of psychiatric facilities in under-developed countries.
In 1978, he left academia and devoted his time to advising the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
on developing psychiatric services in India, with emphasis on making them appropriate to Asian needs.
Academic career
In 1961, Carstairs was appointed Professor of Psychological Medicine at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
. At the university he created a new working group of academics and practising psychiatrists for research and teaching; it was the first such group created outside London.
At the university he taught a wide range of course at both undergraduate and graduate level.
He gave the 1962
Reith Lectures
The Reith Lectures is a series of annual BBC radio lectures given by leading figures of the day. They are commissioned by the BBC and broadcast on Radio 4 and the World Service. The lectures were inaugurated in 1948 to mark the historic contribu ...
, a series broadcast on
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...
, under the title ''This Island Now''.
In one lecture he condoned
pre-marital sex
Premarital sex is sexual activity which is practiced by people before they are married. Premarital sex is considered a sin by a number of religions and also considered a moral issue which is taboo in many cultures. Since the Sexual Revolution ...
, which produced controversy.
His statement of belief was offensive to some British Christians, given that he was the son of a minister.
In January 1973, he was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the
University of York
, mottoeng = On the threshold of wisdom
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £8.0 million
, budget = £403.6 million
, chancellor = Heather Melville
, vice_chancellor = Charlie Jeffery
, students ...
. He was only the second person to head the university as it had only been established in 1963.
The 1970s were a difficult time to be involved in university leadership in the United Kingdom. The country was
in recession and
student protests were frequent.
He had plans to expand the university both physically and in the number of subjects it taught, but because of the hostile atmosphere he faced these were not achieved during his vice-chancellorship.
This experience meant that he never returned to full-time academia after leaving the post in the summer of 1978.
Later life
Carstairs suffered from
senile dementia
Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...
in his later years.
He withdrew from professional life, and was cared for by his first wife.
He died at his Edinburgh home on 17 April 1991.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carstairs, Morris
1916 births
1991 deaths
British psychiatrists
British anthropologists
Academics of the University of Edinburgh
Scottish male long-distance runners
Academics of the University of York
People from Mussoorie
People educated at George Watson's College
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Royal Air Force Medical Service officers
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II
Vice-Chancellors of the University of York
20th-century British medical doctors
Sportspeople from Yorkshire
Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
Fellows of the Royal College of Psychiatrists
20th-century anthropologists