Psychiatric Bulletin (2002) 26: 200. doi: 10.1192/pb.26.5.200-b
© 2002 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Psychiatric Bulletin (2002) 26: 200
© 2002 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Remembering Felix Post
Recollections assembled by Tom Arie
W. A. Lishman, Emeritus Professor of Neuropsychiatry
Institute of Psychiatry, London, (Felix's out-patient registrar,
1961)
As a trainee I soon noticed that Felix's opinions about patients at the
Maudsley Monday morning conferences were perhaps the best always to
the point, practical and wise. To me he emerged as the psychiatric
diagnostician. Later, as a colleague, he won my respect. I marvelled at his
academic output despite sustained hard clinical work. I remember my pride when
we became on first name terms!
In retirement he, with Kathleen, extended great kindness and warmth to his
friends, keeping in touch through thick and thin, and dismissing his
infirmities with his typically somewhat incongruous sense of humour.
During the last year of his life Felix made an extensive revision of his
magnum opus on creativity and psychiatric disorder, which involved
detailed scrutiny of over 600 biographies of famous men. I was privileged to
read the manuscript. Let us hope that it will be published posthumously.
Felix was a man of exceptional intelligence, he was modest,
self-deprecating and a pioneer of a difficult speciality. Typically he set his
mind against memorial services or other ephemera to mark his passing. This
will not obscure the great affection he inspired.