Eric Cunningham Dax - Clinical Work in England

Clinical Work in England

In England during the 1930s and 1940s, Dax worked with John Rawlings Rees, Francis Reitmann and other biological psychiatrists who advocated the use of somatic (physical) treatments for patients with mental problems. He contributed to the development of chemical shock, electroconvulsive therapy, and lobotomy while working at Netherne Hospital, Coulsdon, and continued to use lobotomy in Australia.

Between 1946 and 1951, while the Medical Superintendent of Netherne Hospital, Dax pioneered the use of art programs as part of mainstream psychiatric treatment. His interest was to research using art both for treatment and for assisting the diagnosis of mental disorder. He employed the artist Edward Adamson to facilitate the program. He published his findings in Experimental Studies in Psychiatric Art. He began a collection of artworks produced by psychiatric patients The Cunningham Dax Collection became one of the largest collections of its type in the world. The collection can be viewed at the Dax Centre, located in Parkville, Victoria. The Centre runs public education programs and seeks to promote mental health and wellbeing by fostering a greater understanding of the mind, mental illness and trauma through art and creativity.

Adamson carried on the programs for 35 years, and went on to be one of the pioneers of Art Therapy in Britain.