Retired psychiatrist becomes university’s oldest graduate
A retired psychiatrist has become Kingston University’s oldest ever graduate after gaining a Masters in Modern European Philosophy last month, aged 95.
Dr David Marjot said he was inspired to take the course as he felt it would help write a book suggesting how psychiatry can ‘recover from the grave wounds of anti-psychiatry'.
Dr Marjot, who lives in Surrey, and qualified as a doctor in 1952, said:
“I knew I was limited on time, so when I saw an advert for the course in The Times Literary Supplement for a course that was local to me, I decided to apply.”
Accompanied by his son and son-in-law on his graduation day Dr Marjot received a huge standing ovation from his peers and the audience as he crossed the stage and was awarded his degree by Kingston University Provost Professor Helen Laville.
Dr Marjot had a long and fascinating career, including spells at the Royal Navy, Broadmoor, Wormwood Scrubs prison and the North West Thames Region’s Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Unit, and spent the majority of his time working in addictions psychiatry.
During 1958-1960 he worked as a psychiatric registrar at the Morgannwg Hospital in Glamorgan, an ‘asylum’ of 2,300 patients. He recalls:
“The hospital was transformed while I was there as part of that movement I now call the Great British Revolution in Psychiatry, driven almost single handed by the psychiatrists who returned from the War determined to see changes happen with very little support but no opposition from elsewhere.
“Sadly this great achievement has been written out of history by the Marx/Freud-driven movement known as anti-psychiatry.”
Dr Marjot has written an article for the next History of Psychiatry Special Interest Group newsletter on this very subject.
Expanding on why he decided to take a Masters degree in his nineties, Dr Marjot said:
“I felt I needed formal training in Philosophy so I undertook the MA course so that I could now hope to write a book suggesting the way for Psychiatry to recover from what I see as the grave wounds of anti-psychiatry.“
Asked his advice regarding entering further education in retirement, Dr Marjot said:
“The main thing is, if you're interested then go for it.
“It was hard work, my memory is not quite what it used to be but I was lucky to have world-class teachers and it was a very positive experience. I think it is important to always keep challenging yourself even as you get older.”