Evening star., 1937-03-08
DR.. William, White Dies at 81;
St. Elizabeth's Superintendent
Succumbs after Brief
IIIness-WideIy KnOWn
as Psychiatrist.

tanned Nation wide recognition during
his "a years as superintendent OF st.
Elizabeth's Hospital died Yesterday
morning in his apartment at the insti-
tuition.
DR.. Whites last public appearance
was at a dinner last Monday night in
honor Of DR.. Lewis H. Taylor, new
president of Sibley Hospital. DR..
White arose from q sick bed TO 60 to
the dinner and when reproached by
fellow physicians. he said:
II would do more than this for Louie
Taylor"
Although DR.. White had been
scheduled to present an engraved
testimonial to DR.. Taylor he was
stricken during the dinner and, under
protest, was sent home.
His death-ascribed to influenza
and pneumonia-came as a shock TO
the medical profession, Of which he
had been a recognized leader for over
q quarter Of q century. as we'll as TO
his family and a wide circle Of friends
in ofilcial and private life.
Sudden Relapse.
Until Saturday night DR.. White was
resting easily and had been expected
to recover His condition took a sud-
den turn for the worse. however. and
physician, and four other doctors
worked over him for several hours
yesterday. Mrs. White and M. Sanger
administrative assistant TO the psy-
chiatrist for 80 years, also were at the
bedside when he died at Gas am.
conscious and cheerful to the last.
DR.. White was famous for his fight
| to introduce psychology into penal re-
| form 10 years ago, and previously for
having brought it into the medical
profession, medical colleges, the Army
| and the Navy.
Throughout his professional life DR.
White wrote and lectured widely on
psychiatry. mental and social hygiene
and related subjects. He was hon.
ored frequently by all the major medi-
cal societies of which he was a men,
ber He had planned TO address the
joint meeting of the medical and So
cial hygiene societies of the District
on March II.
Besides his wife. Mrs. Oloa P. White
| he is survived by brother. Charles
H. White OF Boston. Funeral services
will be held at 2 pm. Wednesday ir
All Souls Unitarian Church. with in
terment in Rock Creek Cemetery.
DR.. White was born in Brooklyn
N. Y, on January "a, 1870 the sor
Of Alanson and Harriet Augusta White
He was graduated from Cornell Uni
versity in 1889 after having earned
his way by cleaning the laboratory
after classes. Two years later he re.
ceived his M. D. degree from Ions
Island Medical College.
Professor at G. W. U.
Before coming TO st. Eliza beth!
Hospital in 1908 DR.. White held onl,
one other position, that of second as
sistant superintendent of the New
York State Hospital at Binghamtor
from 1892 TO 1903. He had been pro.
fessor of psychiatry at George Wash
ington University since 1904. He ais
was q lecturer on insanity at the
Army and Navy Medical Schools.
At Cornell, DR.. Whites interest ir
psychiatry was stimulated by hi
friendship with DR.. Bert G. Wilder
eminent authority on the nervous
system. At Binghamton DR.. White
met DR.. Smith Ely Jellif1e. inter.
nationally famous psycho-analyst
and they formed q lifelong friend
ship. They often collaborated or
books and articles and edited a maga
zine on nervous diseases.
DR.. Alexander Lambert. clos,
friend of President Theodore Roose
welt. was superintendent of the Bing
hamton hospital during DR. White
tenure there. When it was learned
the Federal Government needed 1
superintendent for St. Elizabeths DR.
Lambert recommended DR.. White Il
the President. DR.. Whites first tasl
as superintendent was to clean polite
out Of the administration of ST. Eliza
beth's. Under his direction the hospi
tai was the first to abolish strait
jackets, padded cells and other mean
of forcefully controlling menta
patients.
He also abolished confinement o
diseased patients in small rooms ad
joining dormitories and the system
OF feeding patients OF all classes in
single dining room. Now the hospita
has cafeterias adjoining each ward.
The institution now has its owl
complete medical and surgical hos
pital, with resident surgeons and in
ternes on duty "a hours day. Tu
bercular patients have been segre
gated and cottages for their Use con
structed. Recently DR.. White ha
been working to secure more moderl
tuberculosis buildings.
Secretary of the Interior Ickes. un
der whose department ST. Elizabeth
is administered, said yesterday thai
I'm the death of DR.. White, the Gov
ernment has lost fine and faith
full public servant, and the world
| EAridou riohf ef noponprati