Thomas Claye Shaw, FRCP (1841 – 14 January 1927), often published as T. Claye Shaw, was a British physician and hospital administrator with a special interest in mental illness.

Life

Thomas Claye Shaw was born in 1841 at

Stockport Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here. Most of the town is within ...

, the son of a chemist."Thomas Claye Shaw"
''Lives of the Fellows'' (Royal College of Physicians). Retrieved 19 April 2017. He studied at

King's College, London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

, as Senior Warneford Scholar, and graduated from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

with a bachelor of arts (BA) degree in 1860; he became a Member of the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...

and Licentiate of the

Society of Apothecaries The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London is one of the livery companies of the City of London. It is one of the largest livery companies (with over 1,600 members in 2012) and ranks 58th in their order of precedence. The society is a m ...

(MRCS, LSA) four years later. He took the degree of bachelor of medicine (MB) in 1866 and a year later became a doctor of medicine (MD), winning a gold medal."Thomas Claye Shaw, B.A., M.D.Lond., F.R.C.P.", ''British Medical Journal'', 22 January 1927, p. 169. He was interested in mental illness and was appointed to a junior position at

Colney Hatch Asylum Friern Hospital (formerly Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum) was a psychiatric hospital in the parish of Friern Barnet close to a crossroads which had a hamlet (place), hamlet known as Colney Hatch. In 1965, it became part of the London Borough of B ...

and then as medical superintendent at a temporary hospital in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

, then the Metropolitan Asylum at Leavesden, and then at

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

's Asylum at

Banstead Banstead is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, England. It is south of Sutton, south-west of Croydon, south-east of Kingston-upon-Thames, and south of Central London. On the North Downs, it is on three of the four main ...

. He advised the LCC on the new asylum at Claybury and recommended

Robert Armstrong-Jones Sir Robert Armstrong-Jones, (born Robert Jones; 2 December 1857 – 30 January 1943) was a Welsh physician and psychiatrist. Biography He was born in Ynyscynhaearn, Caernarvonshire, the son of a Congregational minister. He was educated at ...

to be its first director. Claye Shaw was also appointed a lecturer in psychological medicine at

St Bartholomew's Hospital St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust. History Early history Barts was founded in 1123 by Rahere (died ...

and also in clinical immunity at St Luke's Hospital. With surgeon Harrison Cripps of St Bartholomew's he tried to relieve paralysis and mental symptoms in patients by relieving fluid pressure on the brain. He was involved in the foundation of the After-Care Association, President of the Society for the Study of Inebriety and was associated with the Psychological Section of the

British Medical Association The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association's headquar ...

(Manchester secretary, 1877; London vice-president, 1895; and Exeter president, 1897). He elected a fellow of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

in 1880. A popular lecturer, he published articles in various medical journals (often hospital reports) and entries in medical dictionaries. His ''Ex-Cathedra Essays on Insanity'' (1904) was an original contribution to understanding mental illness. "Outspoken" and "dogmatic", he advocated the establishment of medical clinics in general hospitals. He espoused misogynistic views in his critique of the 'modern woman', telling an audience in 1913 that her pursuit of independence would "mar the beauty of her face, change her nature, and alienate male sympathy". When

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 ...

broke out, he criticised the mentality of the German elite in a polemical attack. Outside of work, he was an active sportsman, a keen musician and an amateur actor. In 1877, he married Hannah Gratix, a daughter of Isaac Ridgway of Leavesden; they had two daughters. Later in life he lived at

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

and died on 14 January 1927.''The Lancet'', (1877) vol. 112, p. 72.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Claye Shaw, Thomas 1841 births 1927 deaths Alumni of the University of London Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians