William Claire Menninger (October 15, 1899 – September 6, 1966) was a co-founder with his brother
Karl Karl may refer to:
People
* Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne
* Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer
* Karl of Austria, last Austria ...
and his father of The
Menninger Foundation
The Menninger Foundation was founded in 1919 by the Menninger family in Topeka, Kansas. The Menninger Foundation, known locally as Menninger's, consists of a clinic, a sanatorium, and a school of psychiatry, all of which bear the Menninger name. ...
in
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central U ...
, an internationally known center for treatment of behavioral disorders.
Life and career
Early life and education
Menninger was born on October 15, 1899, in
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central U ...
, the son of Florence Vesta (Kinsley) and
Charles Frederick Menninger.
["Karl Menninger"](_blank)
from the Kansas Historical Society, at KWCH, September 28, 2011, accessed August 21, 2014 He had two older brothers:
Karl Karl may refer to:
People
* Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne
* Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer
* Karl of Austria, last Austria ...
and Edwin. Menninger graduated from
Washburn University
Washburn University (WU) is a public university in Topeka, Kansas, United States. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,100 ...
in 1919 and went on to follow his father and brother into medicine. In 1924 he graduated from the
Cornell University College of Medicine in New York State.
After completing a two-year internship at
Bellevue Hospital
Bellevue Hospital (officially NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and formerly known as Bellevue Hospital Center) is a hospital in New York City and the oldest public hospital in the United States. One of the largest hospitals in the United States ...
, he studied
psychiatry
Psychiatry is the specialty (medicine), 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 psych ...
at
St. Elizabeths Hospital in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, in 1927.
Marriage and family
Menninger married Catherine Wright on December 11, 1925. They had three sons together:
Roy W. Menninger, Philip B. Menninger, and
W. Walter Menninger. They later each became active in the Boy Scouts, reaching the rank of
Eagle Scouts
Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle S ...
, and each receiving the
Distinguished Eagle Scout Award
The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award (DESA) is a distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). It is awarded to an Eagle Scout for distinguished service in his profession and to his community for a period of at least 25 years aft ...
.
Psychiatry
In 1927 Menninger returned to Topeka, where he joined his father and brother Karl in their medical practice. By that time, they had already begun to specialize in psychiatry, a relatively new field in the United States. With his contributions, the
Menninger Clinic
The Menninger Foundation was founded in 1919 by the Menninger family in Topeka, Kansas. The Menninger Foundation, known locally as Menninger's, consists of a clinic, a sanatorium, and a school of psychiatry, all of which bear the Menninger name. ...
evolved into the Menninger Sanitarium. Together they developed the Menninger Foundation. This non-profit organization has provided clinical services to both in- and out-patients, and engages in research, education, and social outreach.
Menninger was an early innovator and advocate for the use of
bibliotherapy
Bibliotherapy (also referred to as book therapy, reading therapy, poetry therapy or therapeutic storytelling) is a creative arts therapy that involves storytelling or the reading of specific texts. It uses an individual's relationship to the co ...
in treating mental illness. Along with his brother Karl, Menninger utilized bibliotherapy at the Menninger Clinic. Following the success of Karl's book, ''The Human Mind'', Menninger presented a paper to the American Psychiatric Association in 1937.
Boy Scouts
Menninger was involved with the
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded ...
's
Sea Scouts
Sea Scouts are a part of the Scout movement, with a particular emphasis on boating and other water-based activities on the sea, rivers or lakes (canoeing, rafting, scuba, sailboarding). Sea Scouts can provide a chance to sail, cruise on boats, ...
program in the 1930s. He was skipper of the S.S.S. ''Kansan'', which was the National Flagship for 1931 and 1933. The skipper's manual which he wrote for the Kansas Sea Scouts was later used as the basis for the BSA's ''Handbook for Skippers''. Menninger was also a member of the National Sea Scout Committee during this time. Each of his three sons later became active in the Scouts, attaining the rank of Eagle Scout.
Second World War
At the outset of
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 opposing ...
, Menninger left the family foundation for an appointment as the director of the Psychiatry Consultants Division in the office of the
Surgeon General of the United States Army. He chaired the committee which produced document ''Medical 203'', a major revision of existing US
classification of mental disorders
The classification of mental disorders is also known as psychiatric nosology or psychiatric taxonomy. It represents a key aspect of psychiatry and other mental health professions and is an important issue for people who may be diagnosed. There a ...
. It was adopted by all the armed services.
Following the war, this document strongly influenced the first mental disorders section of the
International Statistical Classification of Diseases
The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is a globally used diagnostic tool for epidemiology, health management and clinical purposes. The ICD is maintained by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is the directing and coordinating ...
published in 1949. Its influence could be seen even more on the first ''
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,'' published in 1952.
[Houts, A.C. (2000]
"Fifty years of psychiatric nomenclature: Reflections on the 1943 War Department Technical Bulletin, Medical 203"
''Journal of Clinical Psychology,'' 56 (7), 935–967 Menninger attained the rank of
brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
(O-7) in the U.S. Army.
References
Sources
* Rebecca Jo Plant, "William Menninger and American psychoanalysis, 1946–48", ''History of Psychiatry'', Vol. 16, No. 2, 181–202 (2005)
External links
William C MenningerIn the Menninger Family Archives from Kansas State Historical Society.
Reproduction of 1943 War Department Technical Bulletin: Medical 203from the Journal of Clinical Psychology. Original reproduction in the journal (JCLP, 1946) was "by courtesy of Brigadier General William C. Menninger, Office of the Surgeon General, Army Service Forces, Washington, D.C."
{{DEFAULTSORT:Menninger, William C.
1899 births
1966 deaths
Writers from Topeka, Kansas
Military personnel from Kansas
Washburn University alumni
Weill Cornell Medical College alumni
American psychiatrists
History of psychiatry
Military psychiatrists
Analysands of Franz Alexander
Bibliotherapy
Physicians from Kansas