Free Members' Webinar: 1926 and All That: Patients, Veterans, Psychiatrists and the Royal Charter
Online
| Timings | 4.00pm - 5.00pm |
| Location | Virtual event, Online |
| CPD | 1 CPD hour, subject to peer group approval |
| Free | £0 |
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Event Information
About our speakers
- Professor John Crichton
John Crichton completed core psychiatric training in Cambridge, where he was appointed Nightingale scholar at the Institute of Criminology, completing a PhD in 1996. He went on to hold full time clinical academic appointments at University of Cambridge (1997-8) and University of Edinburgh (1998-2000). He has written three books and over 60 peer review publication, recently specialising in homicide prevention.
Professor Crichton was one of the founding Consultants of the first Scottish medium secure mental health services in 2000 and has been Clinical Director for Forensic Services in Edinburgh and Medical Director of the State Hospital and Forensic Mental Health Managed Clinical Care Network.
He was the foundation National Training Programme Director for forensic psychiatry and is an Honorary Professor of the School of Law at University of Edinburgh. He is past Chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland and Treasurer RCPsych. He is currently the medical director of the Mental Welfare Commission of Scotland.
- Dr Claire Hilton
Claire Hilton was a consultant old age psychiatrist in London (1998-2017). Her PhD (2014) was on The Development of Psychogeriatric Services in England c.1940 to 1989. She is currently an Honorary Research Fellow, at Birkbeck, University of London, and Honorary Archivist, at the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Her new book about the 1920s, Petty Tyranny and Soulless Discipline? Patients, Policy and Practice in Public Mental Hospitals in England, 1918–1930 (UCL Press, 2025), is open access so free to download.
- Professor Edgar Jones
Edgar Jones is professor of the history of medicine and psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London. He originally trained as a social and economic historian at Nuffield College Oxford before completing a doctorate in clinical psychopathology at Guy’s Hospital and training as a psychodynamic psychotherapist. He is programme leader for the MSc in War and Psychiatry at King’s College London and works in the field of military psychiatry exploring how both soldiers and civilians cope with the stress of war and its persisting impact on their mental health. He has published widely on post-traumatic illnesses and war syndromes, including shell shock, post-traumatic stress disorder, Gulf War syndrome and moral injury.
- Dr Gordon Bates (Chair)
Gordon Bates is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and the current ‘Historian in Residence’ at the Royal College of Psychiatrists. An interest in the history of psychiatry has developed relatively late and he completed his PhD on Victorian medical hypnosis in 2021. Since then, he has written his first book, The Uncanny Rise of Medical Hypnotism 1888-1914 and been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. His follow up edited collection, The Hour of Suggestion will be published next year.
Overview
A special event as part of our Royal Charter centenary commemorations.
1926 and All That: Patients, Veterans, Psychiatrists and the Royal Charter
1926 in the UK is perhaps best remembered for the General Strike and the mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie. It was also an extraordinary year for psychiatry. Celebrations around the Medico-Psychological Association’s Royal Charter were counterbalanced by the publication of the minutes and report of the Royal Commission on Lunacy and Mental Disorder. It indicated deficits in the provision of psychiatric care for the general population in England and Wales, and made many suggestions for improvement. At the same time, thousands of mentally traumatised First World War veterans still required support.
A round number of years is conducive to reflecting on the past. There were many achievements in the 1920s, but some challenges recur or endure into the present, and discussion may offer insights into dealing with them.
Speaker abstracts
Professor John Crichton: Receiving a Royal Charter: Power, Purpose, and Professional Identity a Century Later
The granting of a Royal Charter in 1926 marked psychiatry’s formal recognition as a profession with public responsibilities as well as scientific ambitions. A century later, the Charter invites reflection on what that authority has come to mean—how power, purpose, and professional identity have evolved in response to social change, shifting ethics, and public accountability. This talk considers how the College’s royal charter continues to shape its modern mission and its relationship with the state, with patients, and with the public.
Dr Claire Hilton: Not the Royal Charter: The other RC in psychiatry in 1926
The Royal Commission on Lunacy and Mental Disorder (1924-6) was momentous.
Rather than publicity about appalling standards of care for patients in some mental hospitals, public fear of wrongful detention under the Lunacy Act led to the Commission's appointment. It collected over a million words of evidence, including from patients and their forthright advocates. Afterwards, the authorities did little to improve standards of care, but the Mental Treatment Act 1930 gave many patients greater autonomy regarding admission and treatment.
This talk considers the course of events associated with the Commission, and its relevance for today.
Professor Edgar Jones: The shell-shocked veteran: care in the community
The official medical history of the First World War suggests that over 300,000 servicemen were treated for mental illnesses during the conflict. War pension files and case notes show that many veterans did not recover from shell shock after demobilisation. By 1926, the network of 29 ‘Special Medical Clinics’ providing out-patient treatment had been closed, and the Ministry of Pensions sought to cut pensions and reduce the number of hospital beds funded for ex-servicemen. This presentation will explore what was done for shell-shocked soldiers, how they coped in the post-war years and why policy makers took little account of their needs.
Programme
4.00pm – 4.05pm: Welcome and introduction from the Chair, Dr Gordon Bates
4.05pm – 4.20pm: Professor John Crichton: Receiving a Royal Charter: Power, Purpose, and Professional Identity a Century Later
4.20pm – 4.35pm: Dr Clarie Hilton: Not the Royal Charter: The other RC in psychiatry in 1926
4.35 – 4.50pm: Professor Edgar Jones: The shell-shocked veteran: care in the community
4.50pm – 5.00pm – Discussion and Q&A
5.00pm: Event close
Technology requirements
This event will take place online via Zoom. Please ensure you have access to:
- a reliable internet connection;
- a PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone;
- Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge or the Zoom app (you do not need to have a Zoom account to attend)
Some users may experience difficulty joining Zoom meetings due to security settings. If this is the case, we suggest you select the option to join via a web browser, rather than the Zoom app. If you cannot join on your computer you can join on your phone, or catch up with the on-demand recording.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists assumes no responsibility if you cannot access this online event. Please read our Events Code of Conduct here.
For further information, please contact:
Email: miriam.muleba@rcpsych.ac.uk
Contact Name: Miriam Muleba
Contact number: 0208 618 4244