Frederick Skae
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Frederick William Adolphus Skae (14 May 1842– 25 June 1881) was a Scottish born New Zealand psychiatrist and health administrator.
Skae was born in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland in 1842,[1] the third son of Dr David Skae who was physician to the Morningside Asylum in Edinburgh.[2] He studied medicine in Edinburgh, graduating with an MD from the University of St Andrews.[1][2] From 1864 to 1865 he was president of the Royal Medical Society in Edinburgh.[1][3] After assisting his father he became medical superintendent of the Bellsdyke Asylum in Larbert, Stirlingshire in 1869.[2][4]
In 1871 a parliamentary commission in New Zealand recommended that a British doctor be appointed to head asylums. After several years delay the government appointed Skae to the position.[1] He emigrated to New Zealand in 1876 to take up the position of inspector of asylums.[2][4] In 1880 he also became inspector of hospitals and charitable institutions.[1][4][5]
During Skae's time at Larbert he had adhered to the prevailing attitude that mental health patients were incurable; chronic patients received little treatment, institutionalisation became the norm and there were never enough beds to meet the demand.[4] However in Scotland, under the provisions of the Poor Law, some patients could be sent to infirmaries and workhouses which relieved overcrowding of asylums.[4]
Skae visited the eight asylums in New Zealand and his reports on the state of asylums were unpopular with the government which did not provide adequate funding.[1][3] He found extensive overcrowding and his solutions were to try and limit admissions and increase the numbers of patients who could be discharged; as there was no equivalent of the Poor Law workhouses to fall back on Skae proposed boarding out.[4] These solutions had limited success.[4] He also proposed that asylums be removed from suburban areas which lead to asylums being established at Upper Hutt (and later Porirua), and Seacliff.[4]
Asylums had been run by lay superintendent although Skae advocated that they be run by doctors.[4] Medical superintendents were appointed at Sunnyside and at the Dunedin asylum.[4] An exception was made at the Mount View Asylum in Wellington where Skae recommended a layman, James Whitelaw, be made superintendent in 1877. After rumours of ill-treatment, including restraint, a Royal Commission was set up in 1881 to examine the charges and Whitelaw was dismissed.[4] Skae, who was overworked, was also held to be ultimately responsible and was dismissed with six months notice.[1][4][6] He was vilified in the press.[7][8] He died before the six months had elapsed from "mental shock and erysipelas".[1][3][9] He was succeeded by George Grabham.[3]
In 1866 he married Henrietta Traill and they had nine children.[1][2] After her husband's death Henrietta returned to Scotland with their children.[1] Two of their sons also became doctors.[5]