Frederick Skae

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]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Clair, Rex Wright-St. "Frederick William Adolphus Skae". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Frederick W. A. Skae". Br Med J. 2 (1082): 540. 24 September 1881. doi:10.1136/bmj.2.1082.540. ISSN 0007-1447.
  3. ^ a b c d Wright St Clair, R.E. (1987). A history of the New Zealand Medical Association. Wellington: Butterworths. p. 16. ISBN 0409787795.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Brunton, W. A. (1 March 1972). "If Cows Could Fly". Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 6 (1): 46–51. doi:10.3109/00048677209159676. ISSN 0004-8674.
  5. ^ a b Wright St Clair, Rex (2013). Historia nunc vivat : medical practitioners in New Zealand, 1840 to 1930 (PDF). Christchurch: Cotter Medical History Trust. p. 346. ISBN 9780473240738.
  6. ^ "Dr Skae's case". Ashburton Guardian. 21 May 1881. p. 2. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  7. ^ "Editorial". South Canterbury Times. 7 May 1881. p. 2. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  8. ^ "Editorial". Auckland Star. 25 March 1881. p. 2. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  9. ^ "Death of Dr Skae". Evening Post. 25 June 1881. p. 2. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
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