Sinclair, Eric - Bright Sparcs Biographical entry

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Sinclair, Eric (1860 - 1925)

Psychiatrist

Born: 14 February 1860 West Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland. Died: 19 May 1925 Mount Victoria, New South Wales, Australia.

Eric Sinclair became the New South Wales Inspector-General for the Insane in 1898 and helped bring the struggling industry out of its crisis. He successfully lobbied for increased government funding, oversaw the establishment of many new hospitals and facilities, helped legitimize psychiatry as a true medical science and he set up the state's first pathological laboratory for testing patients for specific mental illnesses. During World War I Sinclair was charged with the psychiatric treatment of returning soldiers and in 1918 was appointed Principal Medical Officer with the Australian army medical Corps.

Career Highlights

Chronology
1881 Bachelor of Medicine (MB) and Master of Surgery (ChM) completed at the University of Glasgow, Scotland
1881 - 1882 Migrated to Australia (Sydney) and obtained an appointment as Medical Officer at the Quarantine Station in North Head
1882 Medical Officer at the Hospital for the Insane in Gladesville
1883 - c. 1898 Medical Superintendent at the Hospital for the Insane in Gladesville
c. 1885 - c. 1886 Returned to Glasgow for further studies
1886 Doctor of Medicine (MD) completed at the University of Glasgow
1898 - Inspector-General of the Insane in New South Wales
1915 Authorised the admission of voluntary patients to State mental hospitals
1915 - 1918 Appointed supervisor of psychiatric treatment of returned soldiers at No.13 Australian Military Hospital for the Australian Army Medical Corps
1918 - Principal Medical Officer of the 2nd Military District with the Australian Army Medical Corps
1919 Established a pathological laboratory to test mental patients for medical pathologies
1922 Opened Broughton Hall military hospital for voluntary patients

Structure based on ISAAR(CPF) - click here for an explanation of the fields.

Prepared by: Annette Alafaci
Created: 20 October 1993
Modified: 31 August 2005

Published by The University of Melbourne eScholarship Research Centre on ASAPWeb, 1994 - 2007
Originally published 1994-1999 by Australian Science Archives Project, 1999-2006 by the Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre
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Updated: 26 February 2007
http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/biogs/P002046b.htm

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