Seymour S. Kety

Seymour S. Kety (August 25, 1915 – May 25, 2000) was an American neuroscientist who was credited with making modern psychiatry a rigorous and heuristic branch of medicine by applying basic science to the study of human behavior in health and disease.^[1] After Kety died, his colleague Louis Sokoloff noted that: "He discovered a method for measuring blood flow in the brain, was the first scientific director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and produced the most-definitive evidence for the essential involvement of genetic factors in schizophrenia." ^[2]

Childhood

Semyour S. Kety was born in

in 1915. Raised in a humble family household in Philadelphia, Kety was intellectually challenged and stimulated. As a child, Kety was involved in a car accident that injured his foot. Though he could still walk, Kety remained slightly physically impaired.

Schooling

For his education, Kety stayed in his home town of Philadelphia. Kety attended Central High School in Philadelphia and found himself excelling greatly in

Kety's first contribution to science

During his internship, he married Josephine Gross, a childhood friend. She too was studying to be a doctor. Josephine wanted to be a pediatrician, which inspired Seymour to do research and study more about children. An increase in lead poisoning led to Kety's first contribution to medicine. More and more children came down with

Kety's slow transition to psychology

Following his internship, Kety decided to continue his research of

Commonly known as a great teacher, Seymour was very popular among his students. Soon, everyone that knew Kety learned that he had a profound interest in cerebral circulation. His desire for knowledge was mostly to understand the process and to measure the flow of blood. Eventually, Kety and Schmidt worked together to form experiments about the cerebral circulation in a human. In time, they found a very effective method of measuring the flow of blood. Their work together was revolutionary.[1]^[2]

After collaborating with many doctors on various projects, Seymour S. Kety became the chairman of the department of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University in 1961. After only one year, Kety resigned due to his lack of experience in psychiatry. He returned to his job as the Chief of Laboratory Science. Seymour, however, continued the research he was working on. He was researching the causes of schizophrenia. His focus was based on the genetic influences that cause the disease.^[1][2]

Kety's results

Seymour spent much of his life studying schizophrenia. He said that genetic influences may be largely responsible for psychosis, comparing it to phenylketonuria or Huntington's disease.^[3] Kety's discoveries have been used and further developed into new theories.^[1]

Seymour Kety's legacy

Kety had three major contributions in three different areas. In psychiatry, Kety discovered the strong link between genetics and the staggering disease of schizophrenia. As a physiologist, Seymour studied cerebral circulation and made advancements in the field. Kety's work with neuroscience was also a large accomplishment.^[1]

Kety was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,^[4] the United States National Academy of Sciences,^[5] and the American Philosophical Society.^[6]

In 1981, Kety became a founding member of the World Cultural Council.^[7]

He never trained in psychiatry although he changed its course. In 1986, he was awarded the

Kety also received awards from some of the most prestigious scientific groups, including the American Society of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Association.

References

External links

• National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoir
• Interview with Kety 1994