The Washington times., 1937-03-08
WHITES DEATH
IS M0URNED
BY NATION


Alanson White, world-famed psy.
chiatrist and superintendent of st.
Elizabeth'S Hospital for the last
"a years.
III less than a week, DR.. White
died at his apartment in the Fed
eral institution for mental cases
on Congress Heights at 9:25 a. m.
yesterday. He was 81.
His death came as shock, since
last Saturday attending physicians
said DR.. White showed remarkable
signs of recovery.
The pSychiatrist was taken i'll
last Monday while attending a
banquet in honor Of DR.. Lewis H.
Taylor, preSident-elect of Sibley
Memorial Hospital. Death was due
to influenza and pneumonia.
Nurse Became Alarmed
It was early yesterday that the
night nurse became alarmed over
DR.. Whites condition and called
DR.. William j. Mallory, his per.
sonal physician. DR.. Mallory ar.
rived at 5 a. m. to find the patient
sinking rapidly. Four other physi-
clans were called in. Mrs. White
was at the bedside at the end.
M. Sanger, DR.. Whites admin.
istrative assistant for the past 80
years, who also was at the bedside,
said the patient was conscious and
to the end appeared cheerful.
DR.. White will be buried in Rock
Creek Cemetery Wednesday with
services at All Souls Unitarian
Church, Sixteenth and Harvard
Streets Northwest, at 2 p. m. The
Rev. U. C. B. Pierce, pastor, will
officiate. Mr.. Pierce, who is presi-
dent of the board of visitors of st.
Elizabeth'S Hospital, has been an
intimate friend of DR.. White for
years.
Native of Brooklyn
Born in Brooklyn, N. Y, DR..
White attended Cornell University,
working his way through as a lab
oratory assistant. He took his
M. D. degree from Long Island
Medical College in 1891 and the
following year became second
assistant superintendent of the
State Hospital at Binghamton,
N. Y.
President Theodore Roosevelt, in
1908, recognizing DR.. Whites re-
markable ability both as doctor
and an administrator, invited him
to head st. Elizabeth's.
The institution at that time was
heavily involved in politics and,
therefore, its superintendentship
was not eagerly sought by many
physicians. DR.. White, however,
saw in it an opportunity to realize
the purpose to which he had
chosen to devote his life. He ac-
cepted.
Politics Rooted Out
DR.. Whites first move upon tax
ing over st. Elizabeth'S was fight
to remove the strong influence of
politics. During this battle the
hospital was brought under con-
gressional investigation, many of
the past evils were exposed and
legislation was finally enacted
which rooted out abuses.
Proclaimed by many of his fel-
low-ScientiStS as the Louis Pasteur
of psychiatry, DR.. White long has
preached non-resistance in treating
mental cases. st. Elizabeth's was
the first hospital to abolish padded
cells, strait-jackets and other
means of forcefully controlling
mental patients.
DR.. White has worked untiringly
to make st. Elizabeth's the model
mental hospital of the world.
When the famous Prof. Emil
Kraepelin, of Munich, known as
THE Master" in mental science,
visited this country some years
ago, he spent two weeks at st.
EliZabeth's. Upon leaving, Prof.
Kraepelin said:
"ThiS is the finest institution
I have ever been in. In my esti-
nation, DR.. White is to be ranked
with the great scientists of our
time"
ASSAILED BY BLANTON
During his career at st. Eliza
beth's, DR.. White more than once
weathered soaring attacks of Con-
gressmen. He was sharply criti-
cized by Representative Thomas
Blanton when he testified at the
Leopold,Loeb trial in Chicago.
Blanton alleged that during DR..
Whites two-week stay in Chicago
he was paid $3.50 a day when che
should have been on his job here"
A man Of considerable charm.
wit and humor, DR.. White was
widely known for his complete
honesty and his jealous CARLSON
the-table" attitude.
For years DR.. White fought for
a reorganization of the entire
penal system. In 1927, he shocked
an American Medical Association
convention with a blanket indict-
ment Of prevalent methods.
Spread Psychology
When he first entered the field
Of psychiatry there were but few
doctors pursuing the science.
These were relegated to an obscure
corner, given little cooperation or
attention.
Through relentless effort, con.
slant lecture tours, innumerable
pamphlets, papers, books and ar
ticles, DR.. White, with a small
circle of associates, succeeded in
opening the field, presenting its
significance and potentialities to
hundreds