Expert opinion 739 HERTZMAN.P. A., BLEVINS,W. L., MAYER,J., GREENFIELD, SLUTSKER,L., HOESLV,F. C., MILLER, L., WILLIAMS,L. P., B.. TING. M. & GLEICH. G. J. (1990) Association of the WATSON,J. C. & FLEMING, D. W. (1990) Eosinophilia- cosinophilia-myalgia syndrome with the ingestion of myalgia syndrome associated with exposure to trypto tryptophan. New England Journal of Medicine, 322, phan from a single manufacturer. Journal of the 869-873. American Medical Association, 264,213-217.

Psychiatrie Bulletin (1990), 14, 739-740

People and places

Aubrey Lewis Unit, Royal Park Hospital

BRUCESINGHand DAVIDCOPOLOV,NH& MRC Schizophrenia Research Unit, Royal Park Hospital, Parkville 3052, Australia

A meeting was held at Psychological Medicine and the Mental Health Royal Park Psychiatric Research Institute of Victoria respectively, both of Hospital in Melbourne, which are based at the Hospital. Australia on 2 March The special guest at the meeting was Professor 1990 to celebrate the Michael Shepherd, Emeritus Professor of Epidemio opening of a research lógica!Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry who ward at that hospital presented the plenary lecture on the theme of "Sir which commemorates the Aubrey Lewis - An Australian Psychiatrist". Pro memory of Sir Aubrey fessor Shepherd painted an evocative picture of the Lewis. Sir Aubrey Lewis personality and characteristics of Sir Aubrey Lewis was an Adelaide-born and then proceeded to describe the Adelaide in which Sir Aubrey Lewis grew up - a city which at the same Professor Aubrev Lewis psychiatrist who under (1965) took his medical training period was home to a youthful Howard Florey and in Australia before enter also Hugh Cairns. Each of these men were to achieve ing psychiatry. He trained in the USA, the Continent accolades in the United Kingdom, but only the latter and Great Britain where he settled and became the two have been adequately acknowledged in the major figure in the development of the Institute of country of their birth. Psychiatry and the principles of what came to be Professor Shepherd highlighted Sir Aubrey's known as "Maudsley psychiatry" around the world. scepticism as having its origins in Lewis' Australian The Aubrey Lewis Unit is a 22-bedded clinical background, a theme that was picked up later in the research ward which is the pivotal component of the meeting by another invited speaker. Professor Australian National Health & Medical Research Gordon Parker, Chairman of the Department of Council (NH & MRC) Schizophrenia Research Unit Psychiatry at New South Wales University and for established in 1988. This Unit is co-directed by the nine years editor of the Australian & New Zealand organisers of the conference. Professor B. Singh and Journal of Psychiatry. He discussed the tendency of Dr D. Copolov from the Monash Department of Australians to be truculent and resistant to control 740 Singha/idCopolov fulfil its new task. The two major streams provided by the ward will be an assessment programme con centrating on psychotic patients requiring admission for the first time and more established schizophrenics who have been drug free for at least several months. These patients will undergo assessment using a com prehensive multidiagnostic interview schedule devel oped at the hospital (RPMIP) and will participate in various psychological and biological studies being conducted by the Unit. The second stream of the programme consists of a The new Aubrey Lewis Unit for schizophrenia research recovery phase which utilises a variety of techniques ana"treatment to assist patients to recover from their first episode of psychosis. The Victoria Department of Health provides the and authority, to be less inclined to compromise and staffing, medical, nursing and paramedical, for the more inclined to follow arguments to their logical research unit because it accepts that such a unit is conclusion. He also discussed the track-record of a legitimate part of a busy 180-bedded hospital pro Australian psychiatric researchers, which he de viding acute psychiatric services to a population of scribed as having significantly improved over the approximately half a million people in the central past two decades as assessed by publications in the area of Melbourne. It was partly because of strong major international psychiatric journals. Professor support from the State Government that the Federal Parker was one of four Australian psychiatrists who Government through the N H & MRC decided to site spoke of four aspects of Sir Aubrey's background the Schizophrenia Research Unit at Royal Park and work which are relevant to contemporary Hospital. Australian psychiatry, namely his Australian back The meeting, which was attended by approxi ground and his particular interests in social science, mately 150 people, was closed by Dr Peter Eisen, anthropology and philosophy. Contributing to this Director of the Office of Psychiatric Services of the theme was Professor Scott Henderson, Director of Health Department Victoria, who pledged con the NH & MRC Social Psychiatry Unit, for the past tinuing support for the Aubrey Lewis Unit. decade based at the Australian National University The unit is the second at Royal Park Hospital to in Canberra, who spoke on the contribution of the honour an internationally famous Australian psy social sciences to psychiatry. The pivotal role played chiatrist; another ward in the hospital is named after by Sir Aubrey Lewis in fostering the social sciences as John Cade, a former superintendent of the hospital a major contributor to the elucidation of psychiatric who introduced lithium into psychiatric practice. Sir issues was acknowledged. Aubrey Lewis, although he never returned to the Two other Melbourne psychiatrists also contri country of his birth, was, by his own words and Pro buted to the day, Dr Ed Harari, a psychiatrist with a fessor Shepherd's assessment, significantly influenced major interest in philosophy, spoke of how the con by his Australian background. It seems fitting that he cept of paradox illuminated the practice of psy should be remembered in his home country by a clini chiatry and Dr Maurice Eisenbruch, a psychiatrist cal research ward concentrating on one of the major who had trained as an anthropologist in Cambridge psychiatric disorders. under Gilbert Lewis, son of Sir Aubrey, spoke of his Sir Aubrey's major legacy to British psychiatry, recent research into the concepts of mental illness as and indirectly thereby to world psychiatry, was utilised by people in Cambodia - a country of par his development of the Maudsley Hospital and the ticular importance to Australia because of its prox Institute of Psychiatry at the University of London. imity and the tumultuous political events which have This development was recognised, at the time of his affected it in the past two decades. retirement, as "probably the most academically The Director of Clinical Services at the Hospital brilliant, progressive and respected combination of Dr David Leonard, chaired the opening ceremony clinical scholarship and critical integrity in the world". and introduced the Minister of Health for Victoria, Ms Caroline Hogg, who opened the Aubrey Lewis We trust that the Aubrey Lewis Unit in Melbourne Ward. The Health Department of Victoria through will influence psychiatrists in his homeland to con its Office of Psychiatric Services provided $A820,000 tinue to strive towards excellence in their research to refurbish and renovate a ward at the hospital to endeavours.