Francis Reitmann

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 [ Kirkby, K.C. (1998) Art for psychiatry's sake: an interview with Dr E. Cunningham Dax. "History of Psychiatry" 9:39-49.] . Reitmann followed the theory of biological psychiatry that organic defects were the sole source of mental illness [ Reitman, F. (1954) "Insanity, Art and Culture". 111pp. Philosophical Library: New York. ] , and therefore mental problems could be treated by physical means; he carried out experiments in the fields of shock therapy [ McCrae, N. (2006) ‘A violent thunderstorm’: Cardiazol treatment in British mental hospitals. "History of Psychiatry" 17: 67-90. ] and leucotomy [ 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. ]

His surname is sometimes spelled Reitman.

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