Campbell Clark


Dr Archibald Campbell Clark FFPSG was a nineteenth-century Scottish physician who made major advances in mental health care philosophies.

Life

He was born at Tarbert, Loch Fyne, the son of Donald Clark, a merchant, and his wife Margaret Campbell. His father died when he was young and they then moved to Lochgilphead. He was educated there at the Free Church School. From around 1867 he assisted at the local asylum, where he learnt an empathy for the patients.
He worked for some years as a warehouseman in Glasgow then studied medicine at Edinburgh University graduating MB ChB in 1878 and gaining his doctorate in 1886.
He was assistant medical officer at the Melrose Asylum in the Scottish Borders before joining the Edinburgh Asylum under Dr Thomas Clouston.
Around 1890 he became Medical Superintendent of the Glasgow District Asylum at Bothwell. In 1895 he was appointed Chief Medical Superintendent of the newly completed asylum - Hartwood Hospital, serving Lanark. With over 2500 patients it was later the largest asylum in Europe.
Controversially by today's standards he employed electroconvulsive therapy and was the first person in Scotland to perform a lobotomy in attempts to control behaviour. He was the first to advocate professional training of all staff, and had a strong reputation for improving the actual conditions of the inmates.
He lectured at St Mungo's College in Glasgow and was president of the Caledonian Medical Society.
He died of influenza on 28 November 1901 at his house in Hartwood Village near the hospital. He was buried in the hospital cemetery in Hartwood.
Hartwood closed in 1995 following the rolling out of "care in the community" in the Community Care Act 1990.

Recognition

He is remembered on the Pinel Memorial at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital.

Family

He was twice married and had two sons and one daughter.

Publications