Robert Galbraith Heath

Dr. Robert Galbraith Heath (1915 - 24 September 1999) was an American psychiatrist. He followed the theory of biological psychiatry that organic defects were the sole source of mental illness [ Heath, R.G. (1961) Reappraisal of biological aspects of psychiatry. "Journal of Neuropsychiatry" 3: 1-11. ] , and that consequently mental problems were treatable by physical means.

Heath founded the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology at Tulane University, New Orleans, in 1949 and remained its Chairman until 1980 [ In Memoriam: Robert Galbraith Heath, MD, DMSci (1915–1999). "Neurology" 54(2): 286. ] He performed many experiments there involving electrical stimulation of the brain via surgically implanted electrodes [Heath, R.G. (1963) Electrical self-stimulation of the brain in man. "American Journal of Psychiatry" 120: 571-577. ] [ Moan, C.E., & Heath, R.G. (1972) Septal stimulation for the initiation of heterosexual activity in a homosexual male. "Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry" 3: 23-30. ] . One of his collaborators was the Australian psychiatrist Harry Bailey, who later reminisced that they had used African Americans as subjects "because they were everywhere and cheap experimental animals" [Slattery, J.P. (1990) Report of the Royal Commission into Deep Sleep Therapy. "New South Wales Parliamentary Paper" 304/1990-1991 ISBN 0724087664 ] .

Heath also experimented with the drug bulbocapnine to induce stupor, using prisoners in the Louisiana State Penitentiary as experimental subjects [Scheflin, A.W. & Opton, E.M. (1978) "The Mind Manipulators: a non-fiction account." (Paddington Press: New York) ISBN 0448229773 pp. 314-315. ] . He later worked on schizophrenia, which he regarded as an illness with a physical basis [ Heath, R.G. (1967) Schizophrenia: pathogenetic theories. "International Journal of Psychiatry" 3(5): 407-10. ]

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