Jonathan O. Cole, M.D. (1925–2009)

Jonathan Cole had a remarkable impact on psychiatry and psychopharmacology which should bere-evaluated to clearly establish the enormous contributionhe made to the field and the people who cameinto contact with him. He was born on 16 August 1925.He went to Harvard College and then onto CornellUniversity Medical School, graduating in 1947 andcontinued there in psychiatric residency at PayneWhitney Clinic from 1948 to 1951. After his residencyhe went into the U.S. Army.

In 1953 he took a position as a Professional Associateto the committee on Psychiatry at the NationalAcademy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. where heremained until 1956.

I have known Jonathan Cole for the past 50 years.We first met when I was a visiting scientist at theUniversity of Michigan and he was making a followupsite visit with two of his junior staff, Rees Jonesand the late Jerry Klerman. They were visiting theSchizophrenia and Psychopharmacology Researchproject that Jon had played a major role in establishing.Some of the details can give some idea of hisvision and breadth of scope. The Director was RalphW. Gerard a famous neurophysiologist from the Universityof Chicago, and his deputy was an Americanpsychiatrist. The investigators were drawn from theU.S. and the rest of the world – Japan, Sweden, Britain,Germany and one from Australia. It was a 5-yearcentre grant and during this period other investigatorscame in and some moved on. We did not cure schizophreniabut produced many findings that did influencethe state of the art in its infancy and mostcertainly its progress. This one example illustrates hisgoal of seeding research sites and creating in them theability to metastasize.

Subsequent to this experience I worked in othercentres in the U.S. and found that Jon Cole, the travellingsalesman for psychopharmacology, had alreadyvisited and left his mark or came shortly after andhelped establish a new site.

His centre of operation was as Chief, PsychopharmacologyService Center at NIMH from 1956to 1966 and from 1966 to 1967 as Chief, PsychopharmacologyResearch Branch, NIMH. He was ineffect the head of a worldwide Marshall plan forpsychopharmacology. There was another unique aspectto his operations. They were personal and handson. He would identify a Dr X who had special skillsin one or another relevant discipline and explorewhether this individual was a potential investigator inthe cause, then he and his colleagues would help thatperson or group get a start. His personal involvementin this mission was one of his great contributions to thesuccess of the investigator and the success of the mission.To this task he not only brought exquisite clinicalskills and understanding but a charm and jolly cheerfulnessthat was therapeutic for new investigators.

After he left NIMH he returned to Boston, to BostonState Hospital from 1967 to 1973 and then to McLeanHospital in Boston where he was active as a psychiatristand an investigator and was productive incarrying out clinical research and coming up with newideas. He contributed several hundred publications tothe literature, including research papers, book chapters,and books. Letters to the editor was another wayfor him to present interesting observations based onhis exquisite clinical acumen.

His continued contribution to the development ofthe field was his active involvement in the developmentand growth of the ACNP and he became itsPresident in 1965–1966. He also dedicated his effortsto support the CINP and was secretary of the organizationfrom 1966–1969 and was awarded the CINP,Pioneers in Psychopharmacology Award in 2002.

Over the past several years he was ill and for awhile restricted in his mobility, but he still attendedscientific meetings and would be active in discussionsand suggesting new approaches to issues under discussion.

My personal relationship was similar to these descriptions– always generous and helpful whatever theissues or problems were. I am saddened by this loss ofa friend and know that psychopharmacology has lost ahero.

DR SAMUEL GERSHON
University of Miami Miller School of Medic