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. ...

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

, the son of Florence Vesta (Kinsley) and Charles Frederick Menninger."Karl Menninger"
from the Kansas Historical Society, at KWCH, September 28, 2011, accessed August 21, 2014 He had two older brothers:

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 ...

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 Menninger
In the Menninger Family Archives from Kansas State Historical Society.
Reproduction of 1943 War Department Technical Bulletin: Medical 203
from 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