Richard Asher
Encyclopedia
Richard Alan John Asher, FRCP
(3 April 1912, Brighton
– 25 April 1969, Marylebone
) was an eminent British
Endocrinologist and Haematologist. As the senior physician responsible for the mental observation ward at the Central Middlesex Hospital
he described and named Munchausen syndrome
in a 1951 article in The Lancet
.
, which physician and medical ethicist Maurice Pappworth
alleged was the source of Asher's 'accidental' reputation as a medical etymologist
. They had three children: Peter Asher
(born 1944) - member of the pop duo Peter & Gordon
and later record producer, Jane Asher
(born 1946) - film and TV actress and novelist, and Clare Asher (born 1948) - radio actress.
The Asher family home above his private consulting rooms at 57 Wimpole Street
was briefly notable when Paul McCartney
lived there in 1964-1966 during his relationship with Jane Asher.
In 1964 Dr Asher suddenly gave up his hospital post and perhaps all medical activities. He suffered from depression in later life and reportedly died by his own hand at the age of 57.
Richard Asher was hailed as a pioneer in challenging the value of excessive bed rest following treatment, and argued that the Pel-Ebstein fever
(a fever characteristic for Hodgkin's disease) was an example of a condition that exists only because it has a name. Asher's 1949 paper "Myxoedematous Madness" alerted a generation of physicians to the interaction between the brain and the thyroid gland. As a result, young and elderly psychiatric patients are now screened for thyroid malfunction. Some of the 'madness' cases are now thought to be the early descriptions of Hashimoto's encephalopathy
, a rare neuroendocrine syndrome sometimes presenting with psychosis
.
" is a lecture delivered by Asher and later published in The Lancet, describing medical professional behaviour that is considered inappropriate. These sins are often quoted to students:
and the Society of Authors
for the best first edition textbook aimed at undergraduate students. The most recent prize was awarded to Hugo Farne, Edward Norris-Cervetto and James Warbrick-Smith for their book "Oxford Cases in Medicine and Surgery". The prize was presented by at a ceremony at the Royal Society of Medicine
in London on Wednesday 27 October 2010.
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
(3 April 1912, Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
– 25 April 1969, Marylebone
Marylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
) was an eminent British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Endocrinologist and Haematologist. As the senior physician responsible for the mental observation ward at the Central Middlesex Hospital
Central Middlesex Hospital
Central Middlesex hospital is in the centre of the Park Royal business estate, on the border of two London boroughs, Brent and Ealing.-Hospital role:CMH is a teaching hospital of Imperial College School of Medicine and part of the...
he described and named Munchausen syndrome
Munchausen syndrome
Münchausen syndrome is a psychiatric factitious disorder wherein those affected feign disease, illness, or psychological trauma to draw attention or sympathy to themselves. It is also sometimes known as hospital addiction syndrome or hospital hopper syndrome...
in a 1951 article in The Lancet
The Lancet
The Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is one of the world's best known, oldest, and most respected general medical journals...
.
Personal life
Richard Asher was born to the Rev Felix Asher and his wife Louise (née Stern). He married Margaret Augusta Eliot at Pancras, London on 27 July 1943, whereupon his father-in-law gave him a complete set of the Oxford English DictionaryOxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
, which physician and medical ethicist Maurice Pappworth
Maurice Henry Pappworth
Maurice Henry Pappworth was a pioneering British medical ethicist and tutor, best known for his 1967 book Human Guinea Pigs, which exposed the unethical dimensions of medical research. Born and educated in Liverpool, Pappworth graduated as a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery in 1932 from...
alleged was the source of Asher's 'accidental' reputation as a medical etymologist
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
. They had three children: Peter Asher
Peter Asher
Peter Asher is an English guitarist, singer, manager and record producer. He first came to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the vocal duo Peter and Gordon before going on to a successful career as a record producer.-Early life:He was born at the Central Middlesex Hospital, a child actor and...
(born 1944) - member of the pop duo Peter & Gordon
Peter & Gordon
Peter and Gordon were a British Invasion-era duo and formed by Peter Asher and Gordon Waller, who achieved fame in 1964 with "A World Without Love", and had several subsequent hits in that era.-History:...
and later record producer, Jane Asher
Jane Asher
Jane Asher is an English actress. She has also developed a second career as a cake decorator and cake shop proprietor.-Early life:...
(born 1946) - film and TV actress and novelist, and Clare Asher (born 1948) - radio actress.
The Asher family home above his private consulting rooms at 57 Wimpole Street
Wimpole Street
Wimpole Street is a street in central London, England. Located in the City of Westminster, it is associated with private medical practice and medical associations. No. 1 Wimpole Street is an example of Edwardian baroque architecture, completed in 1912 by architect John Belcher as the home of the...
was briefly notable when Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
lived there in 1964-1966 during his relationship with Jane Asher.
In 1964 Dr Asher suddenly gave up his hospital post and perhaps all medical activities. He suffered from depression in later life and reportedly died by his own hand at the age of 57.
Ideas and reputation
Asher was regarded as "one of the foremost medical thinkers of our times", who emphasised the need "to be increasingly critical of our own and other people's thinking". Dr Asher was particularly concerned that "many clinical notions are accepted because they are comforting rather than because there is any evidence to support them".Richard Asher was hailed as a pioneer in challenging the value of excessive bed rest following treatment, and argued that the Pel-Ebstein fever
Pel-Ebstein fever
Pel-Ebstein fever is a rarely seen condition noted in patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma in which the patient experiences fevers which cyclicly increase then decrease over an average period of one or two weeks...
(a fever characteristic for Hodgkin's disease) was an example of a condition that exists only because it has a name. Asher's 1949 paper "Myxoedematous Madness" alerted a generation of physicians to the interaction between the brain and the thyroid gland. As a result, young and elderly psychiatric patients are now screened for thyroid malfunction. Some of the 'madness' cases are now thought to be the early descriptions of Hashimoto's encephalopathy
Hashimoto's encephalopathy
Hashimoto's Encephalopathy is a very rare condition associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis. It was first described in 1966. It is classified as a neuroendocrine disorder....
, a rare neuroendocrine syndrome sometimes presenting with psychosis
Psychosis
Psychosis means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality"...
.
Notable articles
Richard Asher is remembered today chiefly for his "refreshingly provoking" articles that "sparkle with sequins--his own aphorisms, imaginary dialogue, fantasies, quotations." He thought that medical writing should provide "useful, understandable, and practical knowledge instead of allotov-words-2-obscure-4-any-1,2-succidin-understanding-them." Anthologies of his articles were well-received, with the Talking Sense collection being described as "still the best advice on medical writing." Notable articles include:- The Dangers of Going to Bed (1947) - "one of the most influential medical papers ever written"
- The Seven Sins of Medicine (1949, in Lancet 1949 Aug 27;2(6574):358-60)
- Myxoedematous Madness (1949)
- Munchausen’s syndrome (1951, in Lancet 1951 Feb 10;1(6650):339-41)
- Respectable Hypnosis (1956)
- Why Are Medical Journals So Dull? (1958)
- The Talking Sense trilogy:
- Clinical Sense (1959) with a rueful correction in The Dog in the Night-time (1960)
- Making Sense (1959, in Lancet, 1959, 2, 359)
- Talking Sense (1959, in Lancet, 1959, 2, 417)
The Seven Sins of Medicine
The "Seven Sins of MedicineSeven Sins of Medicine
The Seven Sins of Medicine, by Richard Asher, are a perspective on medical ethics first published in The Lancet in 1949.Considered as poor personal conduct by doctors The Seven Sins describes behavior that in itself might not be grounds for professional complaint or discipline but would be...
" is a lecture delivered by Asher and later published in The Lancet, describing medical professional behaviour that is considered inappropriate. These sins are often quoted to students:
- Obscurity
- Cruelty
- Bad Manners
- Over-specialisation
- Love of the Rare
- Common Stupidity
- Sloth
The Richard Asher prize
Since 1995 an annual prize (2010 value £1,200) in memory of Richard Asher has been awarded by the Royal Society of MedicineRoyal Society of Medicine
The Royal Society of Medicine is a British charitable organisation whose main purpose is as a provider of medical education, running over 350 meetings and conferences each year.- History and overview :...
and the Society of Authors
Society of Authors
The Society of Authors is a trade union for professional writers that was founded in 1884 to protect the rights of writers and fight to retain those rights .It has counted amongst its members and presidents numerous notable writers and poets including Tennyson The Society of Authors (UK) is a...
for the best first edition textbook aimed at undergraduate students. The most recent prize was awarded to Hugo Farne, Edward Norris-Cervetto and James Warbrick-Smith for their book "Oxford Cases in Medicine and Surgery". The prize was presented by at a ceremony at the Royal Society of Medicine
Royal Society of Medicine
The Royal Society of Medicine is a British charitable organisation whose main purpose is as a provider of medical education, running over 350 meetings and conferences each year.- History and overview :...
in London on Wednesday 27 October 2010.