Francis Reitmann

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Dr. Francis Reitmann (died 1954) was a British psychiatrist. After studying with Ladislas J. Meduna in the 1930s, he worked at Maudsley Hospital and later with Eric Cunningham Dax at Netherne Hospital in Coulsdon ^[1].

Reitmann followed the theory of biological psychiatry that organic defects were the sole source of mental illness ^[2], and therefore mental problems could be treated by physical means; he carried out experiments in the fields of shock therapy ^[3] and leucotomy ^[4]

His surname is sometimes spelled Reitman.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Kirkby, K.C. (1998) Art for psychiatry's sake: an interview with Dr E. Cunningham Dax. History of Psychiatry 9:39-49.
2. ^ Reitman, F. (1954) Insanity, Art and Culture. 111pp. Philosophical Library: New York.
3. ^ McCrae, N. (2006) ‘A violent thunderstorm’: Cardiazol treatment in British mental hospitals. History of Psychiatry 17: 67-90.
4. ^ Dax, E. C., Reitmann, F. & Radley-Smith, E. J. (1949) Investigations into Clinical Problems of Prefrontal Leucotomy. Proceedings 1st International Conference on Psychosurgery, Lisboa 167-170.