Meg Patterson
Meg Patterson MBE | |
|---|---|
| Born | Margaret Angus Ingram 9 November 1922 |
| Died | 25 July 2002 (aged 79) |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Education | University of Aberdeen (MBChB) University of Edinburgh (MD) |
| Occupation | surgeon |
| Known for | Neuro-electric therapy |
| Relatives | George Patterson |
Margaret Angus Patterson
Early life and education
Margaret Angus Ingram was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1922. The daughter of Alexander Ingram, she was the youngest of five children.[5] Patterson started medical school at 21 during World War II, and qualified as a member Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons when she was 25, the only woman in the group.[6]
Career
Patterson went to India as a
In 1964, she moved to Hong Kong with her husband, where she was appointed surgeon-in-charge at Tung Wah Hospital. They remained in Hong Kong until 1973.[7]
In 1972, other doctors in Hong Kong, H.L. Wen and S.Y.C. Cheung, published their work on electroacupuncture for treatment of addiction. Patterson adopted their method, developing a technique called "neuro-electric therapy" (NET), replacing the acupuncture needles with electrodes, making this a form of cranial electrotherapy stimulation.[8][4][9] On returning to the UK she and her husband collaborated to popularise the technique, which became popular with rock and pop stars.[6][10][11][12]
The medical and scientific community was skeptical about the technique. Patterson found herself building clinics with minimal funding, much as she had in India.[6]
In 1974, Patterson treated Eric Clapton for heroin addiction.[13]
In 1976, Patterson set up a clinic in Broadhurst Manor, East Sussex, funded by the
A 1986 article in New Scientist said that the medical establishment viewed Patterson as a quack for trying to remove addiction with tiny electrical currents, and that one clinical trial found it to be ineffective.[3] People magazine said there was "disbelief and even hostility from Britain's medical establishment and from the US medical world".[14]
Death and legacy
In 1999, Patterson had a major stroke a week after opening a clinic in Tijuana. In 2001, she and her husband returned to Scotland, where she died on 25 July 2002. She was survived by her husband, a daughter, two sons, and five grandchildren.[6][7]
Her husband and one of her sons, Lorne, continued marketing the NET technique.[11] As of 2012, evidence reviewed within NHS Scotland found no substantial evidence that neuro-electric therapy was helpful in treating opiate addiction.[4]
Awards and honours
- MBE, 1961[2]
See also
References
- ^ "Scotland and Northern Ireland, Death Index, 1989-2013". www.ancestry.com. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Surgeon who helped rock stars kick drugs". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
- ^ a b Sattuar O (16 January 1986). "Cross currents in treating addiction". New Scientist (1491): 57.
- ^ a b c Fingleton M, Matheson CI (December 2012), NeuroElectric Therapy in Opiate Detoxification (Review) – excerpted at Health Libraries in Lincolnshire Online
- ^ a b "Eastern touch at Aberdeen wedding". Aberdeen Evening Express. 12 September 1953.
- ^ PMC 1124070.
- ^ a b c "Obituary: George Patterson". Daily Telegraph. 13 January 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
- PMID 23954780.
- ISBN 9780674001787.
- ^ Norton, Quinn (20 March 2007). "Neuroelectric Therapy: Addiction cure or quakery?". Wired.
- ^ a b "Howson backs electric heroin cure". The Scotsman. 24 December 2006.
- ^ ISBN 0-688-08961-5.
- ^ Burnside, Anna (10 May 2020). "Scots doctor's pioneering treatment helped rock stars kick their addictions". Daily Record. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ Reed, Susan (11 August 1986). "Britain's Dr. Meg Patterson Helps Jolt Boy George Out of His Heroin Habit". People. 26 (6). Retrieved 12 October 2017.
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