Abstract

Despite what W.C. Fields once said, it feels good to be back in Philadelphia. In these times when so much in our world is changing, returning to our roots brings strength. And some of psychiatry’s deepest roots are firmly in place— right here. The first hospital in America to receive psychiatric patients was the Pennsylvania Hospital, which opened in 1752. Its charter provided for the "relief of the sick and the reception and cure of lunatics." Dr. Benjamin Rush, a Philadelphian and signer of the Declaration of Independence, is considered the father of American psychiatry. In 1817, the Friends Asylum at Philadelphia opened, advocating the use of moral treatment. Twenty-seven years later, in 1844, Philadelphia served as the birthplace of this association—then called the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane. It was renamed in 1892 as the American Medico-Psychological Association and in 1922 as the American Psychiatric Association. APA has met annually since 1844, with two noted exceptions being in 1861 and 1945. Many of the annual presidential addresses reflected on the history of the Association, its progress and problems. The longest presidential address—prior to tonight—was a 3-hour, 65-page stem-winder delivered in 1894 by