Charles Macfie Campbell
Encyclopedia
Charles Macfie Campbell was a psychiatrist
in the United States
in the early 20th century.
in 1876 and died in Cambridge, MA
, on 7 August 1943. He received his medical degree from Edinburgh
in 1902, earning both an M.B. and a Ch.B., after which he sought postgraduate training in France
and then Germany
, where he trained in Heidelberg
under German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin
(1856–1926).
(1866–1950)to join the staff of the Pathological Institute of the New York State Hospitals, which was based at the Manhattan State Hospital on Ward's Island
in New York City
.
Macfie Campbell spent 1907 back in Scotland as an assistant physician at the Royal Edinburgh Asylum but returned to New York to work again under Meyer at the (renamed) New York Psychiatric Institute in 1908. During the next few years Macfie Campbell would not only adopt Meyer's "dynamic" psychogenic
perspective on mental disorders but would also be instrumental in introducing Freudian psychoanalytic
ideas into American psychiatry with like-minded colleagues at the Manhattan State Hospital.
When Meyer left the Institute in 1910 for a professorship at Johns Hopkins University
and to plan for the new Henry C. Phipps Psychiatric Clinic (opened in April 1913), Macfie Campbell also left to work at the Bloomingdale Hospital in White Plains, New York
. In 1911 he earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from Edinburgh after completing a dissertation on general paralysis of the insane (later known as neurosyphilis
).
In 1913 he rejoined Adolf Meyer in Baltimore to serve as associate director of the newly-opened Phipps clinic. He was also appointed a faculty position as assistant professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Medical School. In 1920 he moved to Massachusetts to become the new director of the Boston Psychopathic Hospital
and to assume the position of chair of the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School
, where he remained until his death.
Macfie Campbell is not remembered for any single intellectual, medical or scientific contribution. He published very little. He spent his career promoting the "dynamic psychology" or "psychobiology" of his mentor, Adolf Meyer. Like Meyer, Macfie Campbell believed in the psychogenesis
of mental disorders, denied the notion of biological disease concepts for dementia praecox
, schizophrenia
and manic depression, and insisted that extensive case histories of individuals was a more useful method in psychiatry than normative or generalizing experimental or statistical methods which do not consider the uniqueness of every patient.
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the early 20th century.
Early life
Campbell was born in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1876 and died in Cambridge, MA
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, on 7 August 1943. He received his medical degree from Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in 1902, earning both an M.B. and a Ch.B., after which he sought postgraduate training in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and then Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where he trained in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
under German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin
Emil Kraepelin
Emil Kraepelin was a German psychiatrist. H.J. Eysenck's Encyclopedia of Psychology identifies him as the founder of modern scientific psychiatry, as well as of psychopharmacology and psychiatric genetics. Kraepelin believed the chief origin of psychiatric disease to be biological and genetic...
(1856–1926).
Career
He returned to Scotland in 1903 and served under the psychiatrist Alexander Bruce at the Royal Edinburgh Infirmary. In 1904 he was invited by Adolf MeyerAdolf Meyer (psychiatrist)
Adolf Meyer, M.D., LL.D., , was a Swiss psychiatrist who rose to prominence as the president of the American Psychiatric Association and was one of the most influential figures in psychiatry in the first half of the twentieth century...
(1866–1950)to join the staff of the Pathological Institute of the New York State Hospitals, which was based at the Manhattan State Hospital on Ward's Island
Ward's Island
Wards Island is situated in the East River in New York City. Administratively it is part of the borough of Manhattan. It is bridged by rail to the borough of Queens by the Hell Gate Bridge and it is joined to Randall's Island to the north by landfill...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Macfie Campbell spent 1907 back in Scotland as an assistant physician at the Royal Edinburgh Asylum but returned to New York to work again under Meyer at the (renamed) New York Psychiatric Institute in 1908. During the next few years Macfie Campbell would not only adopt Meyer's "dynamic" psychogenic
Psychogenic disease
A psychogenic disease is a set of symptoms or complaints whose origin likely lies within the complex interactions of the frontal lobes of the brain and the system in which the complaint manifests...
perspective on mental disorders but would also be instrumental in introducing Freudian psychoanalytic
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
ideas into American psychiatry with like-minded colleagues at the Manhattan State Hospital.
When Meyer left the Institute in 1910 for a professorship at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
and to plan for the new Henry C. Phipps Psychiatric Clinic (opened in April 1913), Macfie Campbell also left to work at the Bloomingdale Hospital in White Plains, New York
White Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
. In 1911 he earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from Edinburgh after completing a dissertation on general paralysis of the insane (later known as neurosyphilis
Neurosyphilis
Neurosyphilis is an infection of the brain or spinal cord caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. It usually occurs in people who have had untreated syphilis for many years, usually about 10 - 20 years after first infection.-Symptoms and signs:...
).
In 1913 he rejoined Adolf Meyer in Baltimore to serve as associate director of the newly-opened Phipps clinic. He was also appointed a faculty position as assistant professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Medical School. In 1920 he moved to Massachusetts to become the new director of the Boston Psychopathic Hospital
Boston Psychopathic Hospital
The Boston Psychopathic Hospital was the first mental health hospital in Massachusetts, USA.-History of the establishment:In November 1909 the site for the hospital was purchased on Fenwood Road, 5 minutes' walk from Harvard Medical School. Dr. Elmer E. Southard was appointed director of the...
and to assume the position of chair of the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
, where he remained until his death.
Macfie Campbell is not remembered for any single intellectual, medical or scientific contribution. He published very little. He spent his career promoting the "dynamic psychology" or "psychobiology" of his mentor, Adolf Meyer. Like Meyer, Macfie Campbell believed in the psychogenesis
Psychogenesis
Psychogenesis is a term primarily used in psychology referring to the origin and development of psychological processes, personality, or behavior or the development of a physical disorder or illness resulting from psychological, rather than physiological, factors.-See also:*Carl Jung*Reality...
of mental disorders, denied the notion of biological disease concepts for dementia praecox
Dementia praecox
Dementia praecox refers to a chronic, deteriorating psychotic disorder characterized by rapid cognitive disintegration, usually beginning in the late teens or early adulthood. It is a term first used in 1891 in this Latin form by Arnold Pick , a professor of psychiatry at the German branch of...
, schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
and manic depression, and insisted that extensive case histories of individuals was a more useful method in psychiatry than normative or generalizing experimental or statistical methods which do not consider the uniqueness of every patient.