Elliot Spiro Valenstein (December 9, 1923 – January 12, 2023) was an American psychologist who was professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Michigan.[1][2] He is a noted authority on brain stimulation, psychosurgery and the history of psychiatry.
Elliot Valenstein | |
|---|---|
| Born | Elliot Spiro Valenstein December 9, 1923 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | January 12, 2023 (aged 99) Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Neuroscientist, psychologist |
Biography
editValenstein was born in New York City on December 9, 1923, to Louis and Helen Valenstein (formally Spiro).[citation needed] He fought in World War II. After returning from the war he attended City College of New York for his B.S. and University of Kansas for his M.A and PhD.[3]
Valenstein was the chief of the neuropsychology section at Walter Reed Institute Research from 1957 to 1961. He started teaching at University of Michigan in 1970.[4]
Valenstein was married to Thelma Lewis from 1947 until her death on December 13, 2020.[5] They have two children together; Paul and Carl. Valenstein died in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on January 12, 2023, at the age of 99.[6]
Published books
edit- Brain Control: A Critical Examination of Brain Stimulation and Psychosurgery (1973)
- Brain Stimulation and Motivation: Research and Commentary (Ed.) (1973)
- Great and Desperate Cures: The Rise and Decline of psychosurgery and other Radical Treatments for Mental Illness (1986), ISBN 0465027113
- Blaming the Brain: The Truth About Drugs and Mental Health (1998)
- The War of the Soups and the Sparks: The Discovery of Neurotransmitters and the Dispute over how Nerves Communicate (2005)
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ Davidson, Keay (25 February 1987). "Author says medical fads could recur". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
- ^ Lewis, MD, Thomas H. (1999). "Blaming the Brain: The Real Truth About Drugs and Mental Health (review)". Journal of the American Medical Association. 281 (15): 1438–1439. doi:10.1001/jama.281.15.1438. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
- ^ “Elliot Valenstein: U-M LSA Department of Psychology.” LSA, University of Michigan, lsa.umich.edu/psych/people/emeriti-faculty/esv.html.
- ^ “Elliot Valenstein: U-M LSA Department of Psychology.” LSA, University of Michigan, lsa.umich.edu/psych/people/emeriti-faculty/esv.html.
- ^ "Thelma Valenstein Obituary (1926 - 2020) Ann Arbor News".
- ^ "Elliot Valenstein obituary". Legacy. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
External links
edit- Faculty Page at University of Michigan
- StayFreeMagazine.org - 'Better Living Through Lobotomy: What can the history of psychosurgery tell us about medicine today? An Interview with Elliot Valenstein', Allison Xantha Miller (Fall, 2003)