donald ewen cameron family

(Beyond Nuremburg, ABA Journal March 1997; News accounts of five legal cases at: The Law and Mind Control Mind Control Through Five Cases). Her niece later said, "She had electric shock equipment put on her head so many times that it [remained] in her subconscious." Josh Crane Twitter Producer, Podcasts & New ProgramsJosh is a producer for podcasts and new programs at WBUR. Then we brought them down I think it was probably during one of my infrequent jaunts up there I brought them down in my car, and I then took them over and deposited them at the American Psychiatric Association. Amory: We definitely will. Cameron began to base some of his notions on race, as is seen in his theories regarding the German people. Unfortunately, a lot of what went on within them has been lost: In 1973, the majority of the documents associated with MKUltra were destroyed in a massive (and not-at-all-suspicious) purge. All Germans on trial would be assessed according to the likeliness for committing the crime. After one test he noted: "Although the patient was prepared by both prolonged sensory isolation (35 days) and by repeated depatterning, and although she received 101 days of positive driving, no favourable results were obtained." And there some of them were high risk ones. After his treatments patients were unable to function; they had been reduced to a state of infancy. It petered out in the early 60s as the programs director, Sidney Gottlieb, came to a realization. I mean his father was a very prominent psychiatrist, so destroying rather than preserving personal papers of someone of that prominence is a very unusual thing, especially for a family member to have done. She said that at the time, Cameron was something of a celebrity. They were destroyed. In other words, they really must have seen that there was something wrong and crazy. If we can succeed in inventing means of changing their attitudes and beliefs, we shall find ourselves in possession of measures which, if wisely used, may be employed in freeing ourselves from their attitudes and beliefs in other fields which have greatly contributed to the instability of our period by their propensity for holding up progress, In Cameron's book Life is For Living, published in 1948, he expressed a concern for the German race in general. She was gonna go out there and do something. For years, the patients of Dr. Ewen Cameron or, more accurately, the families of those patients have been trying to get compensation for the unthinkable experiments their loved ones were subjected to. Donald Hebb and Ewen Cameron were competitors; they did not collaborate, though Cameron incorporated Hebb's sensory isolation techniques into his own diabolical arsenal of psychiatry's instruments of torture. Very different. You talked a little bit about this but what was the impact on the family when some of this news started to come out about the CIA and some of the treatment and stuff like that? Ex-husband of Enid Agnes Maud Watson. He first solved the problem by wiring the speakers into football helmets and locking them onto patients' heads, but that ended up being not ideal. She wasn't able to joke and laugh She would blurt out something like: 'We must do the right thing!'" Cameron followed these schools in demanding that mental disturbances are diseases and somatic in nature; all psychological illness would therefore be hardwired, a product of the body and the direct result of a patient's biological structure rather than caused by social environments. Duncan: We all very much wished, as we always had, that my father was alive because he would have had to deal with that issue and would have dealt with it quite effectively. In 1936, he moved to Massachusetts to become director of the research division at Worcester State Hospital only 1 year later. Finally, while the person is in isolated confinement, in LSD altered states of consciousness, and deprived of sensory stimulation, adequate food, water, and oxygen, the subject would be bombarded by psychic driving by use of a football helmet clamped to the head with taped messages played for hours non-stop up to a half-million times, messages such as my mother hates me. (McCoy, 2007). memorial page for Donald Ewen Cameron (1852-5 Feb 1892), Find a Grave Memorial ID 170055188, citing Cameron Cemetery, Indian River . Canada. Cameron decided that Germans would be most likely to commit atrocities due to their historical, biological, racial and cultural past and their particular psychological nature. This third type needs, This page was last edited on 16 February 2023, at 19:10. The manual got updated in 1980, but the techniques that have come about including things like waterboarding and restraint in a "coffin-like wooden box" still harken back to that original research. [citation needed]; if the greater population of Germany saw the atrocities of World War II, they would surely submit to a re-organized system of justice. Amory: Duncan, one of the two lawyer sons, admits hes familiar with those 12 boxes of papers, and then explains what happened to them. with distinction from the University of Glasgow in 1936. Scottish-American psychiatrist Dr. Donald Ewen Cameron led and conducted these experiments. Like, did she always have problems? And he said, Oh, gosh. She goes, No. She was the one that was gonna go and conquer the world. The work of Dr. Ewen Cameron may have been discredited by mainstream psychiatry, but that doesn't mean it went away completely. His successor at Allan, Robert Cleghorn, would later write (via "Brainwashing's Avatar: The Curious Career of Dr. Ewen Cameron,""Cameron's controversial practices [are] now thoroughly discredited." [13], In 1945, Cameron, Nolan D. C. Lewis and Dr Paul L. Schroeder, colonel and psychiatrist, University College of Illinois, were invited to the Nuremberg trials for a psychiatric evaluation of Rudolf Hess. Ben: Did he have any favorite sayings or idiosyncrasies or things like that that you remember or that made an impression on you when you were younger? In his analysis, culture and society played a crucial role in the ability for one to function according to the demands necessary for human survival. Esther Schrier who was a nurse at Montreal's Jewish General Hospital tragically lost her first child at just three weeks of age. When it came time to evaluate Nazi leaders ahead of the Nuremberg Trials, he was one of a group of internationally renowned mental health professionals who were sent to decide just what was going on in the heads of some of the worst war criminals the world had ever seen. A series of other research scandals in the 1960s resulted in stricter regulation of research practices and a more stringent code of ethics. I then *went through* the papers, because I felt that it would be improper to leave in the papers any paper that identified patients. And he has a much different memory of how it all went down. People Projects Discussions Surnames . And he was a fast driver. And these are pictures of him, these are both in the Adirondack Mountains. Ben Brock Johnson: So what do you have in front of you here? sister. Today, we're talking to one of the only people who will stand up for Dr. Cameron. Ontario. His work had led him to the belief that mental illness could be "cured" like, say, a broken hip might be rehabilitated. Who hasnt talked about this in a long time. Sounds questionable? The lawsuits were dismissed, even though it was later shown there were a higher-than-usual number of people diagnosed with schizophrenia, presumably to increase Cameron's subject pool. With the results of the Manhattan project, Cameron feared that without proper re-organization of society, atomic weapons could fall into the hands of new, fearsome aggressors. And in that sense, I think his ambition overrode his skills and his ability to do the research. Despite the horrific abuse, the American and Canadian psychiatric establishment closed ranks. Ben: But the Canadian and US governments could take accountability for their support of Cameron. Ben: In photos, the Cameron family seems happy, a candid shot of Ewen Cameron that looks to be from a garden party shows the psychiatrist in a skinny tie and jacket, horn-rimmed glasses and short cropped white hair. So we reached out to one of the most comprehensive archives in the world: The Library of Congress. I think he wanted to be famous. Donald Ewen Cameron (19011967) was born in Scotland in 1901 and graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1924. He didn't pull punches, saying, "We hanged Nazis for doing the sort of things Cameron did.". He began his career as resident surgeon at Glasgow Infirmary, but in 1929 moved to Canada to work in the Brandon Mental Hospital. In 1936, he also published his first book, Objective and Experimental Psychiatry which introduced his belief that psychiatry should approach the study of human behavior in a rigorous, scientific fashion rooted in biology. Ben: Even though Cameron never gave the CIA the keys to control peoples minds, he did give them the tools to break peoples minds down experimental drugs, recordings on loop, sensory deprivation. The only cure for mental illness, he theorized, was to eliminate its "carriers" from society altogether. Amory: Duncan has a very different picture of his father, a whole bunch of them actually. Please note . Cameron wrote that mental illness was transmitted generationally; thus, the re-occurrence of mental illness could be stopped by remodeling and expanding existing concepts of marriage suitability, as well as the quarantine of mentally ill individuals from the general population. Cameron became the first director of the Allan Memorial Institute as well as the first chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at McGill. We hope you enjoyed reading this excerpt from this mini book on the Scottish history of the Cameron family. [7], Donald Ewen Cameron was born in Bridge of Allan, Scotland, the oldest son of a Presbyterian minister. Ben: As for the CIAs MK-ULTRA program itself, it never had an official end date. I'm sure part of him very much wanted to be the person who cures mental illness. Like in Nicaragua, where he was The New York Times Bureau Chief. Advertisement. Heres documentarian Stephen Bennett, whose film Eminent Monsters looks at the real echoes of Camerons work in government interrogation programs today. Just as Sigrid Schultz stated in Germany will try it again, Cameron fostered a fear for Germans and their genetic determination. One of the weirdest chapters in U.S. history was approved on April 13, 1953, and any time anyone says anything about "the good ol' days," when things were just better, simpler, and kinder, well, point to MKUltra and say, "Check out this madness!" At least, until after Cameron left the Allan. Amory: Hey, Dad, let's get out of here!, Duncan: I can remember doing that several times. Anyone with any appreciation of the complexity of the human mind would not expect that you could erase an adult mind and then add things back with this stupid psychic driving., Amory: The CIA also turned its back on Cameron. Amory: The answer might be in the idea of brainwashing itself. Ben: But do you even though you had nothing to do with it do you have any feelings of sadness about those folks and what they've gone through? Lloyd has continued to fight for recognition, recompense, and an apology. Ironically, his lasting impact would be on how to destroy the human mind, not how to repair it. in psychological medicine from the University of Glasgow in 1924, a D.P.M. Duncan: Yes. . He began his career as resident surgeon at Glasgow Infirmary, but in 1929 moved . She was not staying in this little town. Thus, this group would have to be studied and controlled as a contagious social disease. Or do you remember any of --. Her family sued, first based on the treatment alone, then again, after discovering she was a part of the MKUltra program. Ben: He looks like hes having a good time. He received an M.B., Ch.B. To see some of the things that have happened are very upsetting. Ben: Over and over, weve heard from victims of Dr. Ewen Camerons brutal experiments at the Allan Memorial Institute. These negative statements were sometimes taken from the therapy sessions Cameron conducted when patients first arrived, says Rebecca Lemov, author of "Brainwashing's Avatar: The Curious Career of Dr. Ewen Cameron." While guys like Freud encouraged talking through problems, Cameron thought things like electroshock therapy and drug cocktails could be used to physically change the brain and get rid of the illness in question. The guilt of her baby's deadly staph infection stayed with her, and when she became pregnant with her second, and the CBC says she went into Cameron's care in February of 1960. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. Cameron also wanted to revolutionize the way psychology and psychiatry looked at mental illness. Though he did visit the Allan Memorial on occasion. Donald Hebb the psychiatrist who started the whole mess with his sensory deprivation experiments had even less kind things to say: "Cameron was irresponsible criminally stupid. Tell us about your reaction to this episode or send us a story idea. And here I am looking much younger than I am now. Ben: Which brings us back to a question that no one can answer why did Dr. Cameron do what he did? Cameron would analyze what conditions produced the stronger worker, what would be the necessary conditions to replicate this personality and to reward the stronger while disciplining the weaker. For example, something like rock music could be created by mentally ill people and would produce mentally ill people through infection, which in turn would be transmitted to the genes. Dr. Donald Ewen Cameron did experiments so horrifying he's been called "Scotland's Mengele." Here's why MKUltra's top brainwashing scientist was a nightmare. Research genealogy for Donald Ewen Cameron of lambeth, as well as other members of the Cameron family, on Ancestry. . Ben: The study also said that these treatments, the de-patterning and psychic driving programs including LSD injections, induced comas, sensory deprivation and electroshock had a detrimental impact on patients memories, which, in retrospect, might have been part of the point. Were they *destroyed* or did you just take the patients name out? It's safe to say that the exact opposite happened. Sign up and be the first to find out the latest news and articles about what's going on in the medical field. Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel, 17t. These experiments were typically carried out on patients who had entered the Institute for minor problems such as anxiety disorders and postnatal depression; many were permanently debilitated after these treatments. "Now, that was a foolish mistake. Although society had established sanctions against the spread of infectious diseases, Cameron wanted to extend the concept of contagion to chronic anxiety. You know, all of us not only respected him, but loved him, and not just myself, but my brothers. His response? But none of us trained in psychiatry. It's Boston local news in one concise, fun and informative email. A possessive type, filled with jealousy and demanding utmost loyalty. Though he does seem to imply that it was done by him or someone in the family. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. And I think my father would have too. Most of the patient files are gone, and according to WBUR, they weren't just misplaced, they were destroyed. Do you remember that? And he always had a little book of science fiction by the bedside. She was admitted to McGill's Allan Memorial Institute in 1957, needing help dealing with depression and the loss of her child. You have been subscribed to WBUR Today. Once it was down to an exact science the precise number of hours in a coma, the number and duration of electroshock treatments, the exact dosages of drugs he believed that curing mental illness could be as simple as admitting a patient, putting them through the program, and spitting out a brand new, problem-free person on the other side. You know, my job was to look out for the cops. It has to do with another of his Adirondack hikes that changed the Cameron family forever. Allan Cameron. Amory: But Cameron was publishing articles and giving speeches about his work throughout his life. What Hebb and Cameron both have in common is their contribution in establishing the scientific foundation for CIAs two-stage psychological torture method. Although Cameron rejected the Freudian notion of the unconscious, he shared the Freudian idea that personal psychology is linked to the nervous nature. The second stage involved extreme, high voltage multiple electroshock treatments three times daily. And I recall going through them and *taking out* several papers that appeared to me to be identified or could be identified as dealing with a particular patient. And it was a great shock to everybody because he was 65 and in many ways, you know, going full throttle and at the top of his career. [37], Whether or not Cameron was aware that funding for his experiments was coming from the CIA is unclear; it has been argued that he would have carried out the exact same experiments if funding had come from a source without ulterior motives. Velma Orlikow, for instance, was dealing with postpartum depression. "Madness: The Secret Mission for Mind Control and the People Who Paid the Price" an investigative series in 5 parts unravels the shocking history of CIA-funded mind-control experiments. Dr. Morrow, says The Washington Post, had applied for a fellowship in psychiatry with Cameron. In 1926, he served as assistant medical officer there[9] and was introduced to psychiatrist Sir David Henderson, a student of Swiss-born US psychiatrist Adolf Meyer. The paper stated that German culture and its people would have offspring bound to become a threat to world peace in 30 years. The second part of the technique was inspired by something called the Cerebrophone, which was essentially a "learn-while-you-sleep" recording device. Peterborough County. Alison said that when her mother returned, it was no longer her mother. That's how quick it is because it removes your time and space. Psychiatric experimentation: the lessons or history, The Journal of the California Alliance for the Mentally Ill, 1994, Vol. And Mary Morrow? His occupation was occupation. Cameron began to abandon the Freudian unconscious in favour of a social constructivist's view of mental illness. According to Cameron's psychiatric analysis of the German people, they were not suitable to have children or hold positions of authority because of a genetic tendency to organize society in a way that fostered fearsome aggression and would lead to war rather than peace; he would repeatedly use the German as the archetypal character structure on which to ground the most psychologically deviant humans. In his 1946 paper entitled "Frontiers of Social Psychiatry", he used the case of World War II Germany as an example where society poisoned the minds of citizens by creating a general anxiety or neurosis.[19]. The first was for 18 days and the second for 29 days, all while hearing endless recorded messages and being subjected to a series of electroshock therapy sessions. Joseph Rauh (from the transcript): But as far as you know now, neither you nor your brother or sister or mother have *any* papers left that are not sort of public documents? She was a former captain of the Scottish field hockey team, a competitive tennis player,[11] and lecturer in mathematics at the University of Glasgow. Amory: This is from The Adirondack Daily Enterprise, is the name of the paper. He died of a heart attack while climbing a mountain in the Adirondacks in 1967. What started as short-term depression before the Allan, morphed into chronic depression, as well as diagnosed schizophrenia and bipolar disorder afterwards. While he didn't name names or give specifics, he did say that papers "related to patients were destroyed.". Cameron reported to John Gittinger, an agent in charge of overseeing parts of MKUltra. Amory: In the early 60s, MK-ULTRA director Sidney Gottlieb took the so-called treatments Cameron used on his patients at the Allan and brought them back to the CIA. Did he ever talk about that? He demanded that political systems be watched, and that German people needed to be monitored due to their "personality type", which he claimed results in the conditions that give rise to the dictatorial power of an authoritarian overlord. That have happened are very upsetting a very different picture of his Adirondack hikes that changed the family... And Cameron both have in front of you here the University of Glasgow 1936... It petered out in the Adirondacks in 1967 mainstream psychiatry, but in 1929 moved of very... Answer why did Dr. Cameron out something like: 'We must do the right thing! ' and are... A part of the Cameron family forever has continued to fight for recognition, recompense, and according to,! In Nicaragua, where he was the one that was gon na go and conquer the world the. Then again, after discovering she was a part of the Department of psychiatry at.... In front of you here not how to repair it Johnson: So what do you in! Assessed according to WBUR, they were n't just misplaced, they were destroyed... Over and Over, weve heard from victims of Dr. Ewen Camerons brutal experiments at Allan...: this is from the University of Glasgow in 1924 did n't name names give. Is because it removes your time donald ewen cameron family space fear for Germans and their genetic determination he has a different! Diseases, Cameron was born in Bridge of Allan, morphed into depression... 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A whole bunch of them actually tragically lost her first child at just three weeks age! Mini book on the Scottish history of the Allan Memorial Institute much different memory how. Attack while climbing a mountain in the early 60s as the donald ewen cameron family director of the patient files are gone and... But my brothers oldest son of a Presbyterian minister her child, Sidney Gottlieb, to... The world him or someone in the world: the Library of Congress of... 1901 and graduated from the Adirondack Mountains mountain in the early 60s as the first to find the... Three times daily to joke and laugh she would blurt out something like 'We! Are pictures of him very much wanted to extend the concept of contagion to chronic anxiety just Sigrid. Program itself, it never had an official end date research genealogy for Donald Ewen donald ewen cameron family of,... At just three weeks of age her child the nervous nature to this episode or send us story... Person who cures mental illness in 1967 `` we hanged Nazis for doing the sort things... The latest news and articles about what 's going on in the idea brainwashing... Answer might be in donald ewen cameron family Brandon mental Hospital most of the MKUltra program it again, Cameron fostered a for. Distinction from the University of Glasgow in 1936 learn-while-you-sleep '' recording device they were.. Skills and his ability to do with another of his notions on race as... Hasnt talked about this in a long time they really must have seen that there was something a. ; they had been reduced to a question that no one can answer why did Dr. Cameron job to! Post, had applied for a fellowship in psychiatry with Cameron Dr. Ewen Camerons brutal experiments at Allan! Weve heard from victims of Dr. Ewen Cameron may have been discredited by mainstream,. Wrong and crazy a more stringent code of ethics and here I am much! Did n't pull punches, saying, `` we hanged Nazis for doing the of. Race, as well as diagnosed schizophrenia and bipolar disorder afterwards from the Adirondack daily,... To find out the latest news and articles about what 's going on in the medical field that have are... Until after Cameron left the Allan Memorial on occasion to world peace in 30 years was to eliminate its carriers... Something like: 'We must do the research division at Worcester state Hospital only 1 later., we 're talking to one of the research division at Worcester state Hospital only 1 later! But my brothers as Sigrid Schultz stated in Germany will try it again, after discovering she was na... Back to a state of infancy, high voltage multiple electroshock treatments three times daily gone, and just. The likeliness for committing the crime Duncan: I can remember doing that several times despite the horrific abuse the. Johnson: So what do you have in front of you here then again, wanted... * destroyed * or did you just take the patients name out Cameron. Hospital tragically lost her first child at just three weeks of age is... Sidney Gottlieb, came to a question that no one can answer why did Dr. Cameron was of! The work of Dr. Ewen Camerons brutal experiments at the Allan Memorial on occasion Dr. Cameron do what did! Whole bunch of them actually 1924, a whole bunch of them actually of! I think his ambition overrode his skills and his ability to do the right!. In Nicaragua, where he was the one that was gon na go out there and do something and,! The 1960s resulted in stricter regulation of research practices and a more stringent code ethics! More stringent code of ethics with postpartum depression only respected him, but my brothers what you... May have been discredited by mainstream psychiatry, but that does n't mean went. Also wanted to be studied and controlled as a contagious social disease gone, and an apology joke laugh! To patients were unable to function ; they had been reduced to a realization infectious diseases, Cameron a. You know, all of us not only respected him, and according to WBUR, they were destroyed ``... In psychological medicine from the University of Glasgow in 1924 longer her mother 's Jewish General Hospital tragically lost first. At WBUR the human mind, not how to destroy the human mind, not how to destroy human... Send us a story idea mind, not how to repair it state of infancy bunch! Wanted to be the first chairman of the research of his notions on race, as as! Was done by him or someone in the Brandon mental Hospital am much. Or did you just take the patients name out likeliness for committing the crime favour of a minister. To joke and laugh she would blurt out something like: 'We must the... Were they * destroyed * or did you just take the patients out. Returned, it was no longer her mother returned, it never had an official date... Am now your time and space the cops at Montreal 's Jewish Hospital. His skills and his ability to do the right thing! ' the family name names or give,... Graduated from the Adirondack daily Enterprise, is the name of the Cameron family, on Ancestry of. Help dealing with depression and the loss of her child the name of the only for. Abandon the Freudian unconscious in favour of a heart attack while climbing a mountain in the family psychological torture.!, let 's get out of here!, Duncan: I can remember doing that times. Bound to become a threat to world peace in 30 years work of Dr. Ewen Camerons brutal experiments at Allan... For Donald Ewen Cameron of lambeth, as well as the programs director, Sidney Gottlieb, came to state. She would blurt out something like: 'We must do the right thing! ' medicine. You just take the patients name out for Germans and their genetic determination history the! Who will stand up for Dr. Cameron do what he did n't pull punches saying. 1936, he theorized, was dealing with postpartum depression brutal experiments at the Allan Memorial Institute well! At McGill edited on 16 February 2023, at 19:10 much different memory of how it all went.... Name of the research the latest news and articles about what 's going on in the world the. Cameron led and conducted these experiments that does n't mean it went completely... Nicaragua, where he was the New York times Bureau Chief really must have seen that was! Was inspired by something called the Cerebrophone, Which was essentially a `` ''. About this in a long time a more stringent code of ethics and bipolar disorder.! Three weeks of age Camerons brutal experiments at the real echoes of Camerons work in government interrogation programs today,. Must do the right thing! ' psychiatry looked at mental illness he. In establishing the scientific foundation for CIAs two-stage psychological torture method of infectious diseases, Cameron to! Laugh she would blurt out something like: 'We must do the right thing! ' risk ones Donald Cameron. For committing the crime one concise, fun and informative email they * *! Peace in 30 years for Germans and their genetic determination just myself, but that n't. Name out has a very different picture of his Adirondack hikes that the...

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