Psychology Dictionary
  • Dictionary
    • A
    • B
    • C
    • D
    • E
    • F
    • I
    • J
    • K
    • L
    • M
    • N
    • O
    • P
    • R
    • S
    • T
    • U
    • W
    • Y
    • Z
  • Health Topics
    • ADHD
    • Anxiety Disorders
    • Bipolar Disorder
    • Breast Cancer
    • Depression
    • Diabetes
    • Dissociative Disorders
    • Epilepsy
    • Insomnia
    • Neurology
    • Oncology
    • PCP
    • Pediatrics
    • Personality Disorders
    • Primary Care
    • Schizophrenia
    • Sleepdisorders
    • Substance Abuse Disorders
Aa
Psychology Dictionary
Aa
Search
  • Dictionary
    • A
    • B
    • C
    • D
    • E
    • F
    • I
    • J
    • K
    • L
    • M
    • N
    • O
    • P
    • R
    • S
    • T
    • U
    • W
    • Y
    • Z
  • Health Topics
    • ADHD
    • Anxiety Disorders
    • Bipolar Disorder
    • Breast Cancer
    • Depression
    • Diabetes
    • Dissociative Disorders
    • Epilepsy
    • Insomnia
    • Neurology
    • Oncology
    • PCP
    • Pediatrics
    • Personality Disorders
    • Primary Care
    • Schizophrenia
    • Sleepdisorders
    • Substance Abuse Disorders
Follow US
© PscyhologyDictionary.org. All Rights Reserved.
Home > R > RAY, ISAAC (1807—81)
R

RAY, ISAAC (1807—81)

By N., Sam M.S.

After receiving his medical degree from Bowdoin College in 1827, Ray entered upon a career that was to make him one of the most influential psychiatrists of his time. Energetic and versatile, he became almost equally renowned in Europe and America as an author of over a hundred books and articles, a leader in hospital administration, a pioneer in the study of criminal behavior,and one of the founders of the first psychiatric organization in America.In 1841 Ray was appointed medical superintendent of the State Hospital for the Insane in Augusta, Maine. By 1844 he had achieved sufficient stature to help create the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane, which later became the American Psychiatric Association. In 1845 he accepted a position as head of the Butler Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, one of the most progressive private mental institutions in this country. Within a short time he was commissioned by the trustees to travel to Europe to study architectural innovations in the asylums of Great Britain, France, and Germany. Upon his return he wrote a paper which led to the construction of a new building of advanced design.Some years later Ray collaborated with Thomas Kirkbride in compiling a list of basic tenets for mental hospitals, based on resolutions voted by the Association of Medical Superintendents. These tenets emphasized the evils of overcrowding and unnecessary restraint, and the need for well-built, well-arranged, well-managed, and well-ventilated institutions in which patients would have “abundant means for occupation and amusement.” See KIRKBRIDE, MENTAL HOSPITAL.Ray was a major contributor to the field of forensic psychiatry. He was frequently called upon as an expert witness, and his Treatise on the Medical Jurisprudence of Insanity, written in 1838, was the first book on the subject in the English language, serving as an authoritative text for over fifty years. Among his other works were Mental Hygiene (1863) and Contributions to Mental Pathology (1873), which contained, among other articles, essays on portrayals of insanity by Shakespeare and other writers. His Ideal Character of the Officers of a Hospital for the Insane (1873) delineated the personalitytraits most needed by the head of a mental institution.Ray’s approach was generally an enlightened one. At a time when many others were attributing mental illness to sexual excess, lack of physical hygiene, or even “politics” and “chagrin,” he pointed out that “Many emotions set down as causes, such as religious doubts and anxiety, would often be more justly regarded as its effects.” In spite of the fact that he showed insight of this kind, and was a strong advocate of institutional and legal reform, he did not free himself from belief in the practice of physical restraint which most superintendents considered the backbone of the asylum system. He repeatedly engaged in heated debate on the subject, often advancing emotionally illogical arguments in favor of restraint. It did not seem to occur to him that most patients actually did not need mechanical restraint, as Philippe Pinel in France and William Tuke in England had already shown.Ray’s position on another important issue was more defensible. At the start of the nineteenth century practically all physicians believed that mental illness could rarely if ever be cured, but around 1820 superintendents of asylums began to “prove” their own efficiency by reporting higher and higher rates of recovery. The movement began with a claim of 60 per cent cure by a Dr. Willis, head of a private institution, and before long reports of 80 to 100 per cent recovery rates for “recent cases” were commonplace. Ray was one of the first to question these results, pointing out that no adequate criteria had been set up on what constituted either recovery or recent cases. He also questioned the validity of medical statistics in general, pointing out that some illnesses were periodic, so that one patient could show many recoveries. (Another psychiatrist of the time, Pliny Earle, reported a case where onewoman recovered forty-six times!) This critical approach helped to swing the pendulum back to a more realistic attitude toward curability, and in 1867 a distinguished group of physicians was appointed by the International Congress of Alienists to devise more adequate methods of dealing with psychiatric statistics.

ID, 'custom_sentence', true); if (!empty($custom_sentence)) { ?>
: ""
Cite this page: N., Sam M.S., "RAY, ISAAC (1807—81)," in PsychologyDictionary.org, November 28, 2018, https://psychologydictionary.org/ray-isaac-1807-81/ (accessed October 3, 2023).
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Avatar photo
By N., Sam M.S.
Sam holds a masters in Child Psychology and is an avid supporter of Psychology academics.
Leave a comment Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Posts

The Psychology of Eating Disorders: Unraveling the Complexity of Food and Emotions
The Psychology of Eating Disorders
Psychology of Happiness
The Psychology of Happiness
The Psychology of Weight Loss Motivation
The Psychology of Weight Loss Motivation
Psychology of Not Completing Tasks
Psychology of Adolescence
Psychology of Adolescence
Psychology of Persuasion
The Psychology of Persuasion
Psychology of the Unconscious Mind
Psychology of Procrastination
Psychology of Procrastination: Identifying Triggers and Overcoming Hurdles
Psychology of Color Blue
Psychology of Color Blue
Psychology of Religion
Psychology of Religion
The Psychology of Narcissism
The Psychology of Narcissism
How Exercise Can Boost Your Mental Health as You Age
How Exercise Can Boost Your Mental Health as You Age

Popular Psychology Terms

JUDGMENT
MEDICAL MODEL
HYPERMNESIA
AFFIRMATION
BRAINWASHING
BACKUP REINFORCER
QUALITY
WELL-BEING
AFFILIATIVE BEHAVIOR
MESSAGE-LEARNING APPROACH
EXCITATION-TRANSFER THEORY
POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)
KINESTHETIC FEEDBACK
BEHAVIORAL SEQUENCE

Read This Next

Reverse Psychology

Reverse Psychology

By N., Sam M.S.

YERKES, ROBERT MEARNS (1876- 1956)

By N., Sam M.S.

WUNDT, WILHELM MAX, (1832— 1920)

By N., Sam M.S.

THORNDIKE, EDWARD LEE (1874- 1949)

By N., Sam M.S.

TOTAL PUSH THERAPY

By N., Sam M.S.

TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS

By N., Sam M.S.

TRANSVESTISM (or) TRANSVESTI- TISM

By N., Sam M.S.

VENTILATION CONDITIONS

By N., Sam M.S.

About Us

Powered by Psychology Dictionary: the only Free Online Psychology Dictionary

Follow Us

©2023 PsychologyDictionary.org

  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy