Ferguson Rodger
Encyclopedia
Ferguson Rodger CBE
FRCP Glas
FRCP Ed
FRCPsych
(4 November 1907 - 1 June 1978) was a Scottish physician
who was Professor of Psychological Medicine at the University of Glasgow
from 1948 to 1973, and Emeritus Professor thereafter. He joined the Royal Army Medical Corps
during the Second World War
and rose to become a consultant psychiatrist with the rank of Brigadier
.
His son was Scottish lawyer Alan Rodger, Baron Rodger of Earlsferry
, who became Lord President of the Court of Session
and subsequently Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
.
in the 1990s), before going on to study at the Medical School of the University of Glasgow
(BSc 1927, MBChB 1929). After graduating and undertaking general medical training, he was appointed assistant to Sir David Henderson at the Glasgow Royal Mental Hospital
at Gartnavel, and spent a year from 1931 to 1932 as assistant to Professor Adolph Meyer at Johns Hopkins University
in Baltimore
, Maryland
.
and Assistant Lecturer in Psychiatry
at the University
. He remained there until 1940, when he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps
as a Specialist in Psychiatry. By 1944, he was Consultant in Psychiatry with the rank of Brigadier
, and was stationed in India and the South East Asia Command area
(Burma, Ceylon
, India, Thailand
, Indochina
, Malaya
and Singapore
). He increased the profile of psychiatry within military medicine and established psychiatry as an important tool in selection of officers. After the War, in 1945, he returned to Scotland as Senior Commissioner of the General Board of Control for Scotland (replaced in 1960 by the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland
), but retained his connection to the Army throughout his life.
In 1948, he was appointed to the new Chair of Psychological Medicine at the University of Glasgow
. He developed his unit at Glasgow's Southern General Hospital
into a strong component of the University's Medical School, and was instrumental in developing it into a leader in the development of psychiatry within hospitals and the combination of psychological medicine with neurological sciences. In 1972, the unit was formed into the Institute of Neurological Sciences, where the Glasgow Coma Scale
was devised by Graham Teasdale and Bryan J. Jennett in 1974. He was an external examiner at Edinburgh
and Leeds
Universities.
Rodger served on a number of government committees as well as the Committee on Mental Health of the World Health Organisation
. He was Chairman of the Scottish
Division of the Royal Medico-Psychological Association
in 1962 and President of the Association nationally in 1965, and was awarded an honorary fellowship in 1972 for his efforts during its application to become a Royal College
. He was appointed CBE
in 1967.
, previously a Lecturer in Neurosurgery
at the University, who was knighted in 1995 for services to medicine. Bond retired in 1998, and the Chair is currently vacant.
, was Lord President of the Court of Session
, the head of Scotland's judiciary, from 1996 to 2001, and served as a judicial member of the House of Lords and subsequently Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
until his death in 2011; his daughter is a consultant physician. The family lived in Bearsden
, an affluent suburb
of Glasgow
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
FRCP Glas
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, is an institute of physicians and surgeons in Glasgow, Scotland.Founded by Peter Lowe after receiving a royal charter by James VI in 1599, as the Glasgow Faculty, this institution originally existed as a regulatory authority to ensure that...
FRCP Ed
Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh was established in the 17th century. While the RCPE is based in Edinburgh, it is by no means just a Scottish professional body - more than half of its 7,700 Fellows, Members, Associates and Affiliates live and practice medicine outside Scotland, in 86...
FRCPsych
Royal College of Psychiatrists
The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the main professional organisation of psychiatrists in the United Kingdom responsible for representing psychiatrists, psychiatric research and providing public information about mental health problems...
(4 November 1907 - 1 June 1978) was a Scottish physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
who was Professor of Psychological Medicine at the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
from 1948 to 1973, and Emeritus Professor thereafter. He joined the Royal Army Medical Corps
Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and rose to become a consultant psychiatrist with the rank of Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
.
His son was Scottish lawyer Alan Rodger, Baron Rodger of Earlsferry
Alan Rodger, Baron Rodger of Earlsferry
Alan Ferguson Rodger, Baron Rodger of Earlsferry, FRSE, FBA, PC was a Scottish lawyer and Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom....
, who became Lord President of the Court of Session
Lord President of the Court of Session
The Lord President of the Court of Session is head of the judiciary in Scotland, and presiding judge of the College of Justice and Court of Session, as well as being Lord Justice General of Scotland and head of the High Court of Justiciary, the offices having been combined in 1836...
and subsequently Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
Justices of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom are the judges of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom other than the President and Deputy President. The Supreme Court is the highest in the United Kingdom for civil matters, and for criminal matters from England and Wales and Northern Ireland...
.
Early life
Rodger was born in Glasgow and educated at North Kelvinside School (merged with Cleveden Secondary SchoolCleveden Secondary School
Cleveden Secondary School is a non-denominational state school in the Kelvindale area of Glasgow, Scotland.-The school:In 1972, the Glasgow High School for Girls, situated on Cleveden Road opposite the School's current site, began accepting both male and female pupils, and in 1975 was officially...
in the 1990s), before going on to study at the Medical School of the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
(BSc 1927, MBChB 1929). After graduating and undertaking general medical training, he was appointed assistant to Sir David Henderson at the Glasgow Royal Mental Hospital
Gartnavel Royal Hospital
Gartnavel Royal Hospital is a mental health facility based in the west end of Glasgow, Scotland. It provides inpatient psychiatric care for the population of the West of the City; covering Hillhead, Partick, Scotstoun, Yoker, Clydebank, Drumchapel, Bearsden and Milngavie...
at Gartnavel, and spent a year from 1931 to 1932 as assistant to Professor Adolph Meyer at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
.
Career
Rodger returned to Glasgow in 1934 as Deputy Superintendent of the Royal Mental HospitalGartnavel Royal Hospital
Gartnavel Royal Hospital is a mental health facility based in the west end of Glasgow, Scotland. It provides inpatient psychiatric care for the population of the West of the City; covering Hillhead, Partick, Scotstoun, Yoker, Clydebank, Drumchapel, Bearsden and Milngavie...
and Assistant Lecturer in Psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
at the University
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
. He remained there until 1940, when he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps
Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
as a Specialist in Psychiatry. By 1944, he was Consultant in Psychiatry with the rank of Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
, and was stationed in India and the South East Asia Command area
South-East Asian theatre of World War II
The South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was the name given to the campaigns of the Pacific War in Burma , Ceylon, India, Thailand, Indochina, Malaya and Singapore. Conflict in the theatre began when the Empire of Japan invaded Thailand and Malaya from bases located in Indochina on December 8,...
(Burma, Ceylon
British Ceylon
British Ceylon refers to British rule prior to 1948 of the island territory now known as Sri Lanka.-From the Dutch to the British:Before the beginning of the Dutch governance, the island of Ceylon was divided between the Portuguese Empire and the Kingdom of Kandy, who were in the midst of a war for...
, India, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
, Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
). He increased the profile of psychiatry within military medicine and established psychiatry as an important tool in selection of officers. After the War, in 1945, he returned to Scotland as Senior Commissioner of the General Board of Control for Scotland (replaced in 1960 by the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland
Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland
The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland is an independent statutory body established to safeguard the interests of people considered to be mentally disordered or incapacitated under the Mental Health Act 2003 or the Adults with Incapacity Act 2000.It enquires into cases of alleged ill...
), but retained his connection to the Army throughout his life.
In 1948, he was appointed to the new Chair of Psychological Medicine at the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
. He developed his unit at Glasgow's Southern General Hospital
Southern General Hospital
The Southern General Hospital is a large teaching hospital with an acute operational bed complement of approximately 900 beds. The Hospital is located in Linthouse in the south west of Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom and provides a comprehensive range of acute and related clinical...
into a strong component of the University's Medical School, and was instrumental in developing it into a leader in the development of psychiatry within hospitals and the combination of psychological medicine with neurological sciences. In 1972, the unit was formed into the Institute of Neurological Sciences, where the Glasgow Coma Scale
Glasgow Coma Scale
Glasgow Coma Scale or GCS is a neurological scale that aims to give a reliable, objective way of recording the conscious state of a person for initial as well as subsequent assessment...
was devised by Graham Teasdale and Bryan J. Jennett in 1974. He was an external examiner at Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
and Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
Universities.
Rodger served on a number of government committees as well as the Committee on Mental Health of the World Health Organisation
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
. He was Chairman of the Scottish
Division of the Royal Medico-Psychological Association
Royal College of Psychiatrists
The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the main professional organisation of psychiatrists in the United Kingdom responsible for representing psychiatrists, psychiatric research and providing public information about mental health problems...
in 1962 and President of the Association nationally in 1965, and was awarded an honorary fellowship in 1972 for his efforts during its application to become a Royal College
Royal College
A Royal College in some Commonwealth countries is technically a college which has received permission to use the prefix Royal. Permission is usually granted through a Royal Charter. The charter normally confers a constitution with perpetual succession and the right to sue or be sued independently...
. He was appointed CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1967.
Publications
- Notes on Psychological Medicine, with Ian Ingram, Robert Mowbray and Gerald Timbury (1962)
- Psychology in Relation to Medicine, with Robert Mowbray (1963)
Honours
Rodger was appointed:- Commander of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(CBE), 1967
- Member of the Royal College of Physicians of EdinburghRoyal College of Physicians of EdinburghThe Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh was established in the 17th century. While the RCPE is based in Edinburgh, it is by no means just a Scottish professional body - more than half of its 7,700 Fellows, Members, Associates and Affiliates live and practice medicine outside Scotland, in 86...
(MRCP Ed), 1939; Fellow (FRCP Ed), 1947 - Fellow of the Royal Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of GlasgowRoyal College of Physicians and Surgeons of GlasgowThe Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, is an institute of physicians and surgeons in Glasgow, Scotland.Founded by Peter Lowe after receiving a royal charter by James VI in 1599, as the Glasgow Faculty, this institution originally existed as a regulatory authority to ensure that...
(FRFPSG), 1958 - Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of GlasgowRoyal College of Physicians and Surgeons of GlasgowThe Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, is an institute of physicians and surgeons in Glasgow, Scotland.Founded by Peter Lowe after receiving a royal charter by James VI in 1599, as the Glasgow Faculty, this institution originally existed as a regulatory authority to ensure that...
(FRCP Glas), 1962 - Fellow of the British Psychological SocietyBritish Psychological SocietyThe British Psychological Society is a representative body for psychologists and psychology in the United Kingdom. The BPS is also a Registered Charity and, along with advantages, this also imposes certain constraints on what the society can and cannot do...
(FBPsS), 1971 - Fellow of the Royal College of PsychiatristsRoyal College of PsychiatristsThe Royal College of Psychiatrists is the main professional organisation of psychiatrists in the United Kingdom responsible for representing psychiatrists, psychiatric research and providing public information about mental health problems...
(FRCPsych), 1971; Honorary Fellow, 1972
Retirement
Rodger fell ill in 1972 and retired from the Chair at Glasgow the following year. He was succeeded by Sir Michael BondMichael Bond (physician)
Sir Michael Richard Bond FRSA FRSE FRCPsych FRCPGlas FRCSE is a British physician and medical researcher, whose specialism lies in the study of pain...
, previously a Lecturer in Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.-In the United States:In...
at the University, who was knighted in 1995 for services to medicine. Bond retired in 1998, and the Chair is currently vacant.
Personal life
Rodger married Jean Chalmers in 1934, with whom he had two sons and a daughter. His son, AlanAlan Rodger, Baron Rodger of Earlsferry
Alan Ferguson Rodger, Baron Rodger of Earlsferry, FRSE, FBA, PC was a Scottish lawyer and Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom....
, was Lord President of the Court of Session
Lord President of the Court of Session
The Lord President of the Court of Session is head of the judiciary in Scotland, and presiding judge of the College of Justice and Court of Session, as well as being Lord Justice General of Scotland and head of the High Court of Justiciary, the offices having been combined in 1836...
, the head of Scotland's judiciary, from 1996 to 2001, and served as a judicial member of the House of Lords and subsequently Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
Justices of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom are the judges of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom other than the President and Deputy President. The Supreme Court is the highest in the United Kingdom for civil matters, and for criminal matters from England and Wales and Northern Ireland...
until his death in 2011; his daughter is a consultant physician. The family lived in Bearsden
Bearsden
Bearsden ) is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the northwestern fringe of Greater Glasgow, approximately from the City Centre, and is effectively a suburb, with housing development coinciding with the introduction of a railway line in 1863, and from where the town gets its name...
, an affluent suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.