Tribute to Frank Fremont-Smith, M.D.

Abstract

TRIBUTE TO FRANKFREMONT-SMITH, M.D. LAWRENCE S. KUBIE, M.D., D.Sc* Early intheautumn of1924 two young behavioral scientists (or "neuropsychiatrists " as they were called in those days) met in a laboratory ofthe Department of Physiology of The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. One had come from his laboratory in the Harvard Medical School to visit Dr. AdolfMeyer, who in turn had referred him to the other young scientist . TheBostonianwas Frank Fremont-Smith. ThetemporaryMarylander was myself. We soon discovered that we were conducting almost identical investigations of the cytology and chemistry of the cerebrospinal fluid. The major difference was that the Bostonian had infinitely greater chemical knowledge and sophistication than the Marylander. I am not stating this as a generalization for all Bostonians and all Marylanders or for all time; itjust happened to be true ofthese two at that time. For instance, one knew all about the Donnan membrane equilibrium and its importance, whereas the other had just barely heard of it. A friendship developed which has lasted ever since, sometimes in spite of minor disagreements about clinical or scientific issues. Over the years, the paths ofthese two men have often diverged, always converging againatmultidisciplinaryconferences and inmany othermedical and psychiatric efforts. This was no accident. One ofFremont-Smith's unique contributions to the biological sciences has been his skill and wisdom in the planning and staffing ofsuch conferences and in using them as a basis for launching multidisciplinary research. Because his achievements in this area have never been adequately recognized, I welcome this opportunity to pay tribute to him. If we turn back to the late 1930s, we find that for several years Drs. Frank Fremont-Smith and Lawrence K. Frank had worked toward the development of a program of interdisciplinary conferences under the * Wheeler Lane, Sparks, Maryland 21152. 428 Lawrence S. Kubie · Frank Fremont-Smith, M.D. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine · Spring 1970 auspices oftheJosiah Macy, Jr., Foundation. After Lawrence Frank's retirement in 1941, Fremont-Smith continued to push this program vigorously , emphasizing the fact that if such conferences were to succeed it would be necessary to persuade the same participants to convene repeatedly over several years and, furthermore, that it would be important to publish the edited proceedings ofsuch conferences so that they could be subjected to repeated later study. A major step toward this goal occurred inJanuary 1939 with the launching ofajournalcalled PsychosomaticMedicinesupported by a grantfrom the Josiah Macy, Jr., Foundation. (This was under the sponsorship of the Committee on Problems ofNeurotic Behavior, which was a subcommittee ofthe Division ofAnthropology and Psychology ofthe National Research Council.) The inside cover ofthe first issue ofPsychosomaticMedicine states that it had "been initiated with the assistance oftheJosiah Macy,Jr. Foundation" but omits reference to the fact that the guiding spirits in this had been Drs. Fremont-Smith and Frank. Five years later (in 1944), when the American Psychosomatic Society was incorporated, Psychosomatic Medicine became its official journal. This briefhistorical note is relevant because by its very nature psychosomatic medicine is multidisciplinary and, for this reason, depends to a unique degree on multidisciplinary clinical work, research, conferences, andjournals. Fremont-Smith's interest in bridge building did. not stop here. A few years laterhe was asked by the MentalHealth Section ofthe World Health Organization to be the chairman oftheir multidisciplinary conferences on the psychobiological development ofthe child. These were published by the International Universities Press as Discussions ofChild Development. In 1948 he became the chairman ofthe international conferences which prepared the way for the first World Congress on Mental Health, held in London in August 1948. Subsequently, Fremont-Smith played a key role in similar multidisciplinary conferences under the World Federation for Mental Health. Between 1949 and 1953, under the auspices of the Josiah Macy, Jr., Foundation, he organized and ran a series often multidisciplinary conferences on cybernetics, the transactions of which were published by that foundation. Norbert Wiener had already published his book Cybernetics, and the conferees adopted his recoined word for the title oftheir meetings. On October 16, 1964, elevenyears after the last ofthese conferences and as 429 a direct outgrowth of them, the American Society for Cybernetics was inaugurated in the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C...