Elliot Valenstein Explained

Elliot Valenstein
Birth Name:	Elliot Spiro Valenstein
Birth Date:	9 December 1923
Birth Place:	New York City, U.S.
Death Place:	Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation:	Neuroscientist, psychologist

Elliot Spiro Valenstein (December 9, 1923 – January 12, 2023) was an American psychologist who was professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Michigan.^{[1] [2]} He is a noted authority on brain stimulation, psychosurgery and the history of psychiatry.

Biography

Valenstein was born in New York City on December 9, 1923, to Louis and Helen Valenstein (formally Spiro). He fought in World War II. After returning from the war he attended City College of New York for his B.S. and University of Kansas for his M.A and PhD.^[3]

Valenstein was the chief of the neuropsychology section at Walter Reed Institute Research from 1957 to 1961. He started teaching at University of Michigan in 1970.^[4]

Valenstein was married to Thelma Lewis from 1947 until her death on December 13, 2020.^[5] They have two children together; Paul and Carl. Valenstein died in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on January 12, 2023, at the age of 99.^[6]

Published books

• Brain Control: A Critical Examination of Brain Stimulation and Psychosurgery (1973)
• Brain Stimulation and Motivation: Research and Commentary (Ed.) (1973)
• Great and Desperate Cures: The Rise and Decline of psychosurgery and other Radical Treatments for Mental Illness (1986),
• Blaming the Brain: The Truth About Drugs and Mental Health (1998)
• The War of the Soups and the Sparks: The Discovery of Neurotransmitters and the Dispute over how Nerves Communicate (2005)

See also

• Biopsychiatry controversy
• Chemical imbalance theory
• Psychiatric drugs

External links

• Faculty Page at University of Michigan
• StayFreeMagazine.org - 'Better Living Through Lobotomy: What can the history of psychosurgery tell us about medicine today? An Interview with Elliot Valenstein', Allison Xantha Miller (Fall, 2003)

Notes and References

1. News: Davidson. Keay. Author says medical fads could recur. 4 January 2011. The Telegraph. 25 February 1987.
2. Lewis, MD. Thomas H.. Blaming the Brain: The Real Truth About Drugs and Mental Health (review). Journal of the American Medical Association. 1999. 281. 15. 1438–1439. 10.1001/jama.281.15.1438. 4 January 2011.
3. “Elliot Valenstein: U-M LSA Department of Psychology.” LSA, University of Michigan, lsa.umich.edu/psych/people/emeriti-faculty/esv.html.
4. “Elliot Valenstein: U-M LSA Department of Psychology.” LSA, University of Michigan, lsa.umich.edu/psych/people/emeriti-faculty/esv.html.
5. Web site: Thelma Valenstein Obituary (1926 - 2020) Ann Arbor News.
6. Web site: Elliot Valenstein obituary . Legacy . 16 January 2023 . 16 January 2023.