Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller by Sandra Logan

HIS BIO Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller was born on August 11, 1872 in Monrovia, Liberia First African American psychiatrist in the United States. Known for his research on dementia, Fuller helped make the United States the leader in psychiatry that it is today In 1909 Fuller married Meta Vaux Warrick, a sculptor who had at one point studied under Rodin. Fuller and his wife had three sons Fuller's decision to pursue a career in neurology and psychiatry was influenced by a lecture at the American Medico- Psychological Association given by neurologist S. Weir Mitchell

Education His mother, Anna Ursala James, whose parents were physicians and missionaries, set up a school to teach Carter and other area children. Fuller's early education also included six years--from age 10 to 16--at the College Preparatory School of Monrovia In 1889, at the age of 17, Fuller left Liberia to attend Livingstone College in North Carolina. He graduated in 1893, began studying medicine at Long Island College Hospital, and later transferred to Boston University School of Medicine. Fuller received his M.D. degree in 1897 and eventually worked as a pathologist at Westborough State Hospital for the Insane, becoming the nation's first black psychiatrist. Furthering his knowledge, Fuller took advanced courses at the Carnegie Laboratory in New York in 1900. He then went to Europe in 1904, studying under Emil Kraepelin and Alois Alzheimer, professors at the University of Munich's psychiatric clinic

EMPLOYMENT and ACCOMLISHMENTS He was a pathologist at the Westborough State Hospital in Massachusetts for 22 years He taught at Boston University School of Medicine for 34 years, becoming, in turn, an instructor, lecturer, associate professor, and emeritus professor of neurology In 1907, Fuller examined the brain tissues of cadavers who had a variety of mental disorders and found plaques called amyloids in them He wrote that the cases supported Dr. Alois Alzheimer's discovery of a particular form of dementia and that it was not due to senility, but rather an actual disease The research proved to be a watershed in the study of the disorder and Fuller's name was forever linked with modern understanding of the ailment Fuller became known for his work on Alzheimer's disease, and finally practiced psychiatry, which he continued past his retirement

HONORS And AFFILIATIONS Fuller became a member of the medical faculty at Boston University School of Medicine Fuller helped develop the neuropsychiatric unit at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Tuskegee, Alabama, personally training the doctors who went on to head the department Fuller's knowledge of the venereal disease, syphilis later helped these doctors diagnose syphilis in black World War II veterans who had been misdiagnosed with behavioral disorders He also focused his research on the organic causes of disorders such as schizophrenia and manic-depressive psychosis (now called bipolar disorder) Fuller became known for his work on Alzheimer's disease, a degenerative neurological disorder in which memory, judgment, and the ability to reason progressively deteriorate

The end of his life and the beginning of a legacy In 1919, Fuller left Westborough for Boston University Medical School to teach pathology and worked there for 34 years until blindness caused by diabetes forced him to retire. He practiced privately from his Boston home, seeing patients and reading via “talking books” Fuller died on January 16, 1953 He is remembered to this day both for his work and for his pioneering role as the first black psychiatrist In 1972, the American Psychiatric Association and the Black Psychiatrists of America established the Solomon Carter Fuller Institute In 1974, in dedication to Fuller's work in neuropathology, Boston University opened the Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center, which provides psychiatric outpatient services “Today there are not that many black psychiatrists who are professors in medical schools,” says Dr. Annelle Primm, director of the American Psychiatric Association's Office of Minority and National Affairs. “When you put his accomplishments in that context, he was way ahead of his time”