Bayard Holmes (1852-1924) and Henry Cotton (1869-1933): Surgeon-psychiatrists and their tragic quest to cure schizophrenia.

dc.contributor.author

Davidson, Jonathan

dc.date.accessioned

2022-10-01T17:58:33Z

dc.date.available

2022-10-01T17:58:33Z

dc.date.issued

2016-11

dc.date.updated

2022-10-01T17:58:33Z

dc.description.abstract

Early 20th-century medicine was dominated by the infectious theory of disease. Some leading physicians believed that infection or the accumulation of toxic substances from bacterial stasis caused a wide range of diseases, including schizophrenia. In the case of schizophrenia, one theory held that intestinal stasis lead to the bacterial production of toxins that affected brain function, resulting in psychotic illness. This theory predicted that clearing the stasis by drainage or by removal of the offending organ would be curative. Bayard Holmes and Henry Cotton, surgeon-psychiatrists, achieved notoriety for their efforts to cure schizophrenia surgically. Their endeavours were not only a failure but resulted in tragedy to their families and to a wider population. Treatment of their own sons also represented a violation of the ethics of their time. This account describes the life and career of Holmes and Cotton and reappraises their work in the light of recent developments.

dc.identifier

0967772014552746

dc.identifier.issn

0967-7720

dc.identifier.issn

1758-1087

dc.identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10161/25990

dc.language

eng

dc.publisher

SAGE Publications

dc.relation.ispartof

Journal of medical biography

dc.relation.isversionof

10.1177/0967772014552746

dc.subject

Humans

dc.subject

Schizophrenia

dc.subject

Psychiatry

dc.subject

History, 19th Century

dc.subject

History, 20th Century

dc.subject

United States

dc.subject

Surgeons

dc.title

Bayard Holmes (1852-1924) and Henry Cotton (1869-1933): Surgeon-psychiatrists and their tragic quest to cure schizophrenia.

dc.type

Journal article

pubs.begin-page

550

pubs.end-page

559

pubs.issue

4

pubs.organisational-group

Duke

pubs.organisational-group

School of Medicine

pubs.organisational-group

Clinical Science Departments

pubs.organisational-group

Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

pubs.organisational-group

Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Adult Psychiatry & Psychology

pubs.publication-status

Published

pubs.volume

24

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
JMedBiogr - Holmes and Cotton - 2014.pdf
Size:
681.05 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format