William d sargent poet biography

British psychiatrist

For the English enlightening reformer and political economist, watch William Lucas Sargant.

William Walters Sargant (24 April 1907 – 27 August 1988) was a Brits psychiatrist who is remembered guard the evangelical zeal with which he promoted treatments such sort psychosurgery, deep sleep treatment, electroconvulsive therapy and insulin shock psychotherapy.

Sargant studied medicine at Not come up to scratch John's College, Cambridge, and capable as a doctor at Keenness Mary's Hospital, London. His appetite to be a physician was thwarted by a disastrous break into pieces of research and a agitated breakdown, after which he repellent his attention to psychiatry.

Gaining trained under Edward Mapother efficient the Maudsley Hospital, in Southernmost London, he worked at nobleness Sutton Emergency Medical Service midst the Second World War.

In 1948 he was appointed chairman of the department of mental medicine at St Thomas' Health centre, London, and remained there waiting for (and after) his retirement trim 1972, whilst also treating patients at other hospitals, building snare a lucrative private practice worship Harley Street, and working makeover a media psychiatrist.

Sargant co-authored a textbook on physical operation in psychiatry that ran message five editions. He wrote copious articles in the medical nearby lay press, an autobiography, The Unquiet Mind, and a tome titled Battle for the Mind in which he discusses illustriousness nature of the process timorous which our minds are indirect route to influence by others.

Even though remembered as a major vigour in British psychiatry in magnanimity post-war years, his enthusiasm oblige discredited treatments such as insulin shock therapy and deep rest treatment, his distaste for explosion forms of psychotherapy, and surmount reliance on dogma rather prevail over clinical evidence have confirmed reward reputation as a controversial derive whose work is seldom empty in modern psychiatric texts.

Early life and medical career

Sargant was born into a large playing field wealthy Methodist family in Highgate, London. His father was dinky City broker, his mother, Bad feeling Walters, was the daughter clamour a Methodist minister from wonderful family of wealthy Welsh brewers. Five of his uncles were preachers.

He had two brothers—human rights campaigner Thomas Sargant keep from Bishop of Mysore, Norman Parable. Sargant, and five sisters.^[1] Sargant went to the Leys Institute in Cambridge and then acted upon medicine at St John's Academy, Cambridge. He did not outdo academically but played rugby in behalf of St John's College, was presidentship of Cambridge University Medical Territory and collected autographs of illustrious medical men.^[2] Sargant obtained exceptional rugby scholarship to complete coronate medical education at St Mary's Hospital.

His father lost summit of his money in justness depression in the late Decennary and the scholarship allowed Sargant to continue his medical education.^[3] After qualifying as a debase he worked as a house-surgeon and house-physician at St Mary's and looked set for top-hole successful career as a dr.. But in 1934—four years provision qualifying as a doctor—a out of countenance breakdown and spell in calligraphic mental hospital cancelled his plans.^[2] Sargant would later attribute that period of depression to undiagnosed tuberculosis,^[4] although research which proscribed conducted on the use atlas iron, in very high doses, for the treatment of unqualified anaemia was not well conventional and this disappointment may suppress contributed to his breakdown.^[2]

After authority recovery, Sargant worked as top-notch locum at Hanwell Hospital, standing then for a while helped his brother-in-law at his Nottingham general practice, before deciding cut back a career in psychiatry.^[5] Divert 1935 he was offered top-notch post by Edward Mapother soft the Maudsley Hospital.

In autobiography Sargant describes how Mapother's views coincided with his own: 'the future of psychiatric violence lay in the discovery draw round simple physiological treatments which could be as widely applied introduce in general medicine'.^[6] Soon rear 1 he arrived at the Maudsley, Sargant was involved in investigating amphetamine as a new operation for depression and took dot himself while studying for illustriousness diploma in psychological medicine.^[7] Sargant would take a variety be fooled by drugs to treat his concavity throughout his life.^[2] Another intervention introduced at the Maudsley determine Sargant was there was insulin shock therapy.^[8]

In 1938 Sargant was awarded a Rockefeller Fellowship show consideration for spend a year at Altruist Medical School in Boston, Colony, under Professor Stanley Cobb.

Whilst there he did some experiments on over-breathing and developed shipshape and bristol fashion theory that the difference betwixt normal and neurotic people admiration that the latter have gone their suggestibility.^[9] On a drop in on to Washington he arranged enrol meet Walter Freeman and look three of his patients who had undergone psychosurgical operations.

Even if the results were not fully successful, Sargant resolved to set up the operation into Britain.^[10]

Second Fake War

At the outbreak of armed conflict in September 1939 Sargant requited to Britain to find saunter the Maudsley had been evacuated and divided into two—one divided going to Mill Hill Institute in North London and birth other half setting up dexterous hospital in the old Belmont Workhouse near Sutton, Surrey.

Sargant was sent, along with H.J. Shorvon, clinical director Eliot Woodlouse, and medical superintendent Louis Minski to Belmont workhouse—renamed the Sutton Emergency Medical Service (in 1953 the name of the asylum would revert to Belmont).^[11] Righteousness hospital, which took both civil and military patients, was will controlled by the Ministry obey Health and London County Council.^[11] Sargant described his frustration during the time that London County Council medical bureau tried to curb his testing with new treatments such likewise electroconvulsive therapy and psychosurgery (also called leucotomy) but, as let go said "we generally got bright and breezy own way in the end".^[12] They were, for example, nonpareil allowed to carry out bohemian psychosurgical operations with the authorization of the Council advisors.

What because the doctors advised against keep at, Sargant got round this unreceptive sending patients to be operated on by Wylie McKissock exceed St George's Hospital, (where Playwright Slater was temporarily in operation of the psychiatric department). Plan was, he said, "doing skilled by stealth".^[13] But critics byword him as someone of ultimate views who was cruel status irresponsible and refused to hark to advice; some suggested make certain he was motivated by unsure of yourself anger rather than a wish for to help people.^[14] Sargant designated neurotic patients, especially those right obsessional ruminations, for operation, which carried with it a substantive risk of death, personality decline, epileptic seizures, and incontinence.^[15] Associate the Dunkirk evacuation the Sutton Emergency Medical Service received ample numbers of military psychiatric casualties and Sargant developed abreaction techniques – patients would relive agonizing experiences under the influence strip off barbiturates.^[16] He also used limited insulin treatment, electroconvulsive treatment remarkable sedation in the treatment some military patients.^[17] During the conflict Sargant wrote, together with Dramatist Slater, a textbook, An start to physical methods of discourse in psychiatry; five editions were published, and it was translated into several languages.

In 1940 he married Peggy Glen, who he had met at rank Laboratory at Belmont, where Peggy worked as a volunteer. Prestige couple had no children.

St Thomas' Hospital

After the war, Sargant found it difficult to shove at the re-united Maudsley Health centre and applied – unsuccessfully – for positions elsewhere.^[18] In 1947 he was invited to fork out a year as a punishment professor of psychiatry at Marquis University.

He returned to Kingdom in August 1948 having back number offered the position of imagination of the department of psychosomatic medicine at St Thomas’, out teaching hospital in London. Dry mop that time the new offshoot consisted of a basement take up again no in-patient beds, and cack-handed requirement on students to serve lectures on psychiatry.^[19] Sargant was to stay at St Thomas's for the rest of rulership career, and he built say publicly department up into an "active treatment, teaching and research unit".^[20] The basement was refurbished purify use as an out-patient turnoff (for electroconvulsive therapy, modified insulin treatment, methedrine injections, etc.), extent the amalgamation of St Thomas’ and nearby Royal Waterloo Dispensary provided Sargant with a 22-bed ward for his in-patients (this was to become his height for continuous narcosis or unfathomable sleep treatment).^[20] Sargant's work conclude St Thomas' was funded alongside the NHS with support use up the endowment funds of Attempt Thomas' Hospital and gifts devour private individuals.^[21]

Both at Belmont Health centre and at St Thomas', Sargant subjected patients to up problem three months' combined electroconvulsive remedial programme, continuous narcosis, insulin coma remedial programme and drugs.

He said slot in a talk delivered in Leeds: "For several years past surprise have been treating severe unaffected depression with long periods resembling sleep treatment. We can mingle keep patients asleep or disentangle drowsy for up to 3 months if necessary. During take a nap treatment we also give them ECT and anti-depressant drugs".^[22] Sargant used narcosis (sleep treatment) put the finishing touches to overcome a patient's refusal rigidity electroconvulsive therapy, or even consign it without their knowledge.

Appease wrote in his standard primer An introduction to physical courses of treatment in psychiatry: "Many patients unable to tolerate ingenious long course of ECT, stem do so when anxiety psychoanalysis relieved by narcosis ... What is so valuable is ramble they generally have no fame about the actual length illustrate the treatment or the figures of ECT used ...

Funds 3 or 4 treatments they may ask for ECT harmonious be discontinued because of address list increasing dread of further treatments. Combining sleep with ECT avoids this ...". Sargant also advocated increasing the frequency of Restrict sessions for those he describes as "resistant, obsessional patients" intensity order to produce "therapeutic confusion" and so remove their power house of refusal.

In addition why not? states: "All sorts of employment can be given while honourableness patient is kept sleeping, with a variety of drugs splendid ECT [which] together generally encouragement considerable memory loss for picture period under narcosis. As simple rule the patient does call know how long he has been asleep, or what maltreatment, even including ECT, he has been given.

Under sleep ... one can now give profuse kinds of physical treatment, essential, but often not easily petty. We may be seeing encircling a new exciting beginning join psychiatry and the possibility possess a treatment era such in the same way followed the introduction of anesthesia in surgery".^[23]

Sargant's methods inspired Austronesian doctor Harry Bailey who busy deep sleep treatment at Sydney's Chelmsford Private Hospital, eventually substantial to the death of 26 patients.

Bailey and Sargant were in close contact and clearly competed to see which have a high regard for them could keep a submissive in the deepest coma.^[24] Glory death rate among Sargant's patients was lower than that in the midst Bailey's, largely thanks to distinction nursing skills of the 'Nightingales' (St Thomas' nurses).^[25] Each unerect patient was allocated a grow or student nurse who would monitor their sleep every 15 minutes and wake them each six hours to feed highest wash them and take them to the toilet.

Some company the nurses disliked working in good health the narcosis ward, but unadorned former ward sister defended depiction treatment, recalling patients as 'being pleased to be helped'.^[26] Nearby were, however, several deaths.^[27]

It was Sargant's firm belief that everyone with psychological problems should befit treated early and intensively able all available methods – affiliated if necessary.^[28] He referred gap himself as "a physician sentence psychological medicine".

The available courses, which Sargant also referred agree as "modern" and "active" treatments, were drugs in large doses (antidepressants, amphetamines, barbiturates, tranquillisers, neuroleptics), electroconvulsive therapy, insulin coma treatment, continuous narcosis and leucotomy.^[21] Failures in treatment were put joviality to the patient's lack possession a "good previous personality".

(Sargant was fond of saying ditch you can't make a cloth purse out of a pig's ear.)^[29] Such failures were manipulate from St Thomas' to honesty wards of mental hospitals.

The part-time nature of Sargant's NHS contract at St Thomas' legitimate him time to treat patients at other hospitals and institute a private practice on Harley Street^[30] (when he died operate was worth over £750,000).^[2] Illegal also wrote articles for interpretation medical and popular press, comed in TV programmes, and available an autobiography, The unquiet mind, in 1967.

He was the man of the section of psychoanalysis at the Royal Society look up to Medicine in 1956–57, and was a founding member of dignity World Psychiatric Association. In 1973 he was awarded the Starkey Medal and prize by distinction Royal Society of Health promoter work on mental health.^[31]

A shortly bout of tuberculosis and low spirits in 1954 gave Sargant revolt to complete his book Battle for the Mind (and too an opportunity for giving limitation his 30-year heavy smoking habit).^[32] He spent his convalescence display Majorca, and Robert Graves helped him edit the book.^[29]Battle letch for the Mind, published in 1957, was one of the primary books on the psychology racket brainwashing.

While this book equitable often referred to as pure work on 'brainwashing', and definitely it is subtitled a physiology of conversion and brainwashing, Sargant emphasises that his aim high opinion to elucidate the processes complicated rather than advocate uses. Admire the book he refers considerably to religious phenomena and block particular Christian Methodism, emphasising integrity apparent need for those who would change people's minds pick up first excite them, as outspoken the founder of Methodism, Lavatory Wesley.

Sargant connected Pavlov's keenness to the ways people wellinformed and internalised belief systems. Inured behaviour patterns could be altered by stimulated stresses beyond grand dog's capacity for response, acquit yourself essence causing a breakdown. That could also be caused tough intense signals, longer than wrong waiting periods, rotating positive enthralled negative signals and changing cool dog's physical condition, as nibble illness.

Depending on the dog's initial personality, this could god willing cause a new belief silhouette to be held tenaciously. Sargant also connected Pavlov's findings guideline the mechanisms of brain-washing behave religion and politics.^[33]

Some of Sargant's former colleagues remember him be level with admiration.^[34]David Owen worked under Sargant at St Thomas' in influence 1960s, before embarking on political career, and recalled him as "a dominating personality take on the therapeutic courage of a-okay lion" and as "the category of person of whom legends are made".^[35] But others, who preferred to remain anonymous, asserted him as "autocratic, a risk, a disaster" and spoke inspect "the damage he did".^[35]

Patients, in addition, recall their treatment at righteousness hands of Sargant in seize different terms.

One man who consulted Sargant at his Harley Street private practice for kaput in the 1960s later get b apply "Will" with affection and get the gist. Visiting Sargant for a miniature consultation every six months, subside was given large doses motionless drugs and had a trajectory of electroconvulsive therapy; he classic his relief at being consider that his depression was caused by chemical and hereditary certainty and could not be resisted by an effort of private will.^[36] But a woman who had been admitted to Record Thomas' in 1970 with post-natal depression, and was left pick up memory loss after treatment check on narcosis and electroconvulsive therapy, witter on her experience with anger.^[37]

British entertainer Celia Imrie was admitted stumble upon St Thomas' Hospital when she was fourteen for the exploitation of anorexia under the attention of Sargant.

She was obtain electroconvulsive therapy and large doses of the anti-psychotic drug Largactil and insulin. Imrie has engrossed that her eventual cure was nothing to do with Sargant and his bizarre techniques.

BBC Radio documentary

On 1 April 2009, BBC Radio 4 broadcast precise programme researched and introduced by way of James Maw entitled Revealing description Mind Bender General dealing let fall Sargant's activities and concentrating supervisor his Sleep Room treatments avoid St Thomas's Hospital.^[38] (Although Dr Sargant was a consultant contest St Thomas’ his sleep resist was at the nearby Majestic Waterloo Hospital which at turn time was part of grandeur St Thomas’ group of hospitals).

Among the interviewees were crown one-time registrar David Owen, trip a number of patients hold up St Thomas' as well monkey a survivor of the Porton Downhuman experimentation, who testified think it over their lives had been blighted by Sargant's treatments. Among character points that were brought rust were the routine violation draw round patients' rights as regards gift consent for treatment and greatness fact that Sargant admitted link with correspondence with an Australian member of the bar that patients had died embellish his deep sleep regime.

It was thought that all registers of treatment given in rectitude sleep room on Ward 5 at The Royal Waterloo Preserve had been destroyed when excellence Ward closed in July 1973, but this is not authority case. Both Dr Sargant standing his colleague Dr John Poliitt admitted patients to the six-bedded sleep room and all patients who were admitted there were given exactly the same handling.

In March 2018 journalist Hannah Al-Othman wrote a piece look on the sleep room at Greatness Royal Waterloo entitled ‘This give something the onceover what it’s like to cast doubt on put to sleep so give orders can’t resist electric shock treatment’ for Buzzfeed. Hannah spoke find time for a former patient of Dr Pollitt who had retrieved bits and pieces of her medical record munch through St Thomas’ in 2012.

That partial record included a clone of the 1973 referral kill from a psychiatrist at undiluted London psychiatric hospital suggesting dump the patient be given Narcosis treatment on Ward 5. Business also included the letter imply to the patient’s GP conj at the time that she was discharged later put off year. The discharge letter facade a summary of the employment that the patient had old hat on Ward 5 and divide the sleep room, including nobleness drugs and the number come close to ECT’s that she had bent given.

These hospital records were preserved on microfiche and were still held in the healing records department of St Thomas’ when the patient requested elitist received another copy in 2018. Former patients who have well-tried to bring a legal event against those responsible for their treatment have failed not on account of there is no evidence admire the abuse they suffered nevertheless because solicitors say that loftiness treatment was given too well ahead ago and that patients cannot prove that they were in reality harmed by the treatment.

Authorization is believed that neither Dr Sargant nor Dr Pollitt abstruse any of the patients come together Ward 5 ‘sectioned’ under honesty mental health act pertaining pocketsized that time. Patient’s who emblematic ‘sectioned’ have a legal opinion and their treatment can aptitude reviewed by the courts motionless any time. Dr Sargant have a word with Dr Pollitt denied their patients this legal protection and molder the same time forced them to undergo sleep treatment introduce if they were detained quite than voluntary patients.

MKULTRA

In brandnew years writer Gordon Thomas has suggested that Sargant's experiments form a junction with deep sleep treatment were trash of British involvement with representation CIAMKULTRA programme into mind control.^[39]Donald Ewen Cameron was experimenting well ahead similar lines in Canada, beginning it later emerged that empress work was in part funded by the CIA.^[40] Cameron many a time sought Sargant's advice and disarrange one occasion Sargant sent Cameron a note saying: "Whatever set your mind at rest manage in this field, Raving thought of it first".^[41] Books about Cameron's experiments have commented on links between the bend in half psychiatrists.^[42] Although Sargant acted by the same token a consultant for MI5, maladroit thumbs down d evidence has emerged that coronate work with deep sleep usage at St Thomas' hospital challenging any links with intelligence services.^[43][44][45]

Quotes

See also: Mental health of Jesus

"What would have happened if they [new methods of physical delighted chemical psychiatric treatments] had anachronistic available for the last cardinal hundred years?...

John Wesley who had years of depressive maltreat before accepting the idea shambles salvation by faith rather fondle good works, might have detested this, and simply gone bring to an end to help his father by the same token curate of Epworth following usage. Wilberforce, too, might have spent back to being a person about town, and avoided enthrone long fight to abolish servitude and his addiction to opiate.

Loyola and St Francis courage also have continued with their military careers. Perhaps, even formerly, Jesus Christ might simply plot returned to his carpentry adjacent the use of modern [psychiatric] treatments."^[46]

"Though men are not pepper, they should humbly try admonition remember how much they taste dogs in their brain functions, and not boast themselves in the same way demigods.

They are gifted attain religious and social apprehensions, bear they are gifted with dignity power of reason; but detachment these faculties are physiologically imprescriptible to the brain. Therefore, representation brain should not be overworked by having forced upon thunderous any religious or political inscrutability that stunts the reason, specifics any form of crude thinking that stunts the religious sense." (p. 274)^[33]

In popular culture

British author Jon Stock is writing a business fiction book titled The Take a nap Room based on Sargant's experiments.

Stock has researched this game park by contacting the survivors nigh on Sargant's experiments, and also impervious to accessing Sargant's papers at glory Wellcome Collection and the latterly released documents at National Ledger in Kew,^[47] and will skin published in 2025.^[47]

Works

Books

Articles

References

Bibliography

• Sargant, William Walters (1907–1988), Coquet, A.

  (2004) Oxford Dictionary snatch National Biography, Oxford University Press

• Dunhill, D (1989). "Will power – but not that sort". British Medical Journal. 299 (6701): 747. doi:10.1136/bmj.299.6701.747. PMC 1837489.
• Jackson, H (1954). "Leucotomy; a recent development". The Entry of Mental Science.

  100 (418): 62–5. doi:10.1192/bjp.100.418.62. PMID 13152521.

• Sargant, W (1966). "Psychiatric treatment in general tuition hospitals: A plea for unornamented mechanistic approach". British Medical Journal. 2 (5508): 257–62. doi:10.1136/bmj.2.5508.257. PMC 1943280.

  PMID 5945553.

• Sargant, W (1967) The turbulent mind: the autobiography of graceful physician in psychological medicine. London: Heinemann
• Sargant, W and Slater, Bond (1944) An introduction to fleshly methods of treatment in psychiatry. Edinburgh: E & S Missionary Ltd
• Sargant, W and Slater, Dynasty (1972) (5th edition) An preamble to physical methods of operation in psychiatry.

  Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone

• Streatfeild, D (2006) Brainwash: The Colour History of Mind Control. London: Hodder & Stoughton

External links