Abraham Low
Encyclopedia
Abraham Low was a Jewish-American
neuropsychiatrist
noted for his work establishing self-help programs for the mentally ill, and criticism of Freudian
psychoanalysis
. He was born February 28, 1891 in Baranów Sandomierski
, Poland
.
Low attended grade school, high school
and medical school in France from 1910 to 1918. He continued his medical education in Austria
, serving in the Medical Corps of the Austrian Army
. He graduated with a medical degree in 1919, after his military service, from the University of Vienna
Medical School. After serving an internship in Vienna, Austria from 1919 to 1920, he immigrated to the United States, obtaining his U.S. citizenship in 1927. From 1921 to 1925 he practiced medicine in both New York, New York and Chicago, Illinois. In 1925 he was appointed as an instructor of neurology
at the University of Illinois
Medical School and became an associate professor of psychiatry. In 1931 Low was appointed Assistant Director and in 1940 became Acting Director of the University's Neuropsychiatric Institute.
From 1931 to 1941 he supervised the Illinois State Hospitals. During this time he conducted demanding seminars with the staff and interviewed the most severe mental patients in the wards. In 1936, Dr. Low's Studies in Infant Speech and Thought was published by the University of Illinois Press. Some sixty papers are by Dr. Low dealing variously with such topics as: Histopathology of brain and spinal cord, studies on speech disturbances (aphasias) in brain lesions, clinical testing of psychiatric and neurological conditions, studies in shock treatment, laboratory investigations of mental diseases and several articles on group psychotherapy had been published in medical periodicals.
In 1954 Dr. Low died at the Mayo Clinic
in Rochester, Minnesota
. His contributions to the psychiatric and mental health communities are often not well known, but his work has and continues to assist numerous individuals in the area of mental health.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
neuropsychiatrist
Neuropsychiatry
Neuropsychiatry is the branch of medicine dealing with mental disorders attributable to diseases of the nervous system. It preceded the current disciplines of psychiatry and neurology, in as much as psychiatrists and neurologists had a common training....
noted for his work establishing self-help programs for the mentally ill, and criticism of Freudian
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
. He was born February 28, 1891 in Baranów Sandomierski
Baranów Sandomierski
Baranów Sandomierski is a small town in southern Poland, in the Subcarpathian Voivodship, Tarnobrzeg County on the Vistula River, with 1,440 inhabitants .-Castle:...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
Low attended grade school, high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and medical school in France from 1910 to 1918. He continued his medical education in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, serving in the Medical Corps of the Austrian Army
Military of Austria
The Österreichisches Bundesheer , is the name for the military of the Republic of Austria....
. He graduated with a medical degree in 1919, after his military service, from the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
Medical School. After serving an internship in Vienna, Austria from 1919 to 1920, he immigrated to the United States, obtaining his U.S. citizenship in 1927. From 1921 to 1925 he practiced medicine in both New York, New York and Chicago, Illinois. In 1925 he was appointed as an instructor of neurology
Neurology
Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
at the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
Medical School and became an associate professor of psychiatry. In 1931 Low was appointed Assistant Director and in 1940 became Acting Director of the University's Neuropsychiatric Institute.
From 1931 to 1941 he supervised the Illinois State Hospitals. During this time he conducted demanding seminars with the staff and interviewed the most severe mental patients in the wards. In 1936, Dr. Low's Studies in Infant Speech and Thought was published by the University of Illinois Press. Some sixty papers are by Dr. Low dealing variously with such topics as: Histopathology of brain and spinal cord, studies on speech disturbances (aphasias) in brain lesions, clinical testing of psychiatric and neurological conditions, studies in shock treatment, laboratory investigations of mental diseases and several articles on group psychotherapy had been published in medical periodicals.
In 1954 Dr. Low died at the Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical practice and medical research group specializing in treating difficult patients . Patients are referred to Mayo Clinic from across the U.S. and the world, and it is known for innovative and effective treatments. Mayo Clinic is known for being at the top of...
in Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
. His contributions to the psychiatric and mental health communities are often not well known, but his work has and continues to assist numerous individuals in the area of mental health.
Recovery International
In 1937, Dr. Low founded Recovery, Inc. He served as its medical director from 1937 to 1954. During this time he presented lectures to relatives of former patients on his work with these patients and the before and after scenarios. In 1941, Recovery Inc. became an independent organization. Dr. Low's three volumes of The Technique of Self-help in Psychiatric Aftercare (including "Lectures to Relatives of Former Patients") were published by Recovery, Inc. in 1943. Recovery's main text, Mental Health Through Will-Training, was originally published in 1950. During the organization's annual meeting in June 2007 it was announced that Recovery, Inc. would thereafter be known as Recovery International.External links
- Abraham Low Self-Help Systems providers of Power to Change and Recovery International