Eva Frommer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eva Frommer
|
|
|---|---|
Frommer c. 1965
|
|
| Born | 1927 Berlin, Germany
|
| Died | 8 August 2004 (aged 76−77) Forest Row, England
|
| Nationality | German |
| Citizenship | British |
| Alma mater | Royal Free Hospital |
| Known for | Attention to separation effects in parenting and pre-school children, prescribing antidepressants to children, "Diagnosis and Treatment in Clinical Child Psychiatry, hospital-based art therapies and Eurythmy |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Child psychiatry, Anthroposophy, Art therapy |
| Institutions | Maudsley Hospital, St Thomas' Hospital, London |
| Influences | Rudolf Steiner, William Sargant |
| Influenced | Multidisciplinary training with children |
Eva Ann Frommer (1927–2004) was a doctor who specialized in helping children with their mental health. She was born in Germany but became British. She worked at St Thomas' Hospital in South London. Eva was special because she used art, movement (called eurythmy), and stories to help very young children. She was inspired by the ideas of Rudolf Steiner.
Early in her career, she worked with another doctor, William Sargant. She sometimes used new treatments, like giving small doses of medicine to children. This was a new idea at the time. As a child, Eva and her family had to leave Nazi Germany to escape danger. She strongly believed in using the arts to help children.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Eva Frommer was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1927. She came from a family who loved art and learning. Her father, Leopold, was a scientist. He was also a friend of Rudolf Steiner, whose ideas would later inspire Eva. Her mother, Jadwiga, was a professional violinist.
In 1934, when Eva was a child, her family moved to England. They were part of a group of Jewish people leaving Germany to escape persecution. Once in London, Eva and her brother went to a school inspired by Rudolf Steiner's ideas. This school later became known as Michael Hall.
Eva loved music, like her mother. But she decided to study medicine instead. Her brother, Michael, became a musician.
Her Work as a Doctor
Eva Frommer finished medical school at the Royal Free Hospital in 1952. She first planned to become a children's doctor. However, she decided to specialize in child psychiatry. She studied at the famous Maudsley Hospital and became a specialist in 1962.
After working in Sutton, she became a consultant child psychiatrist at St Thomas' Hospital in London. There, she worked with Dr. William Sargant. She adapted some of his treatments for children. This made her well-known in her field. In 1972, she became a founding member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. She became a Fellow in 1982.
At St Thomas' Hospital, Eva ran a clinic for children. She also did research and worked with many different types of experts. Eva Frommer was one of the first doctors to recognize that children could experience depression. She thought some of this was linked to parents' own experiences of being separated from their families, especially after World War II.
She sometimes prescribed small amounts of new antidepressant medicines. This was a new and debated approach. She also started working closely with the growing Art Therapy movement. She offered training to art therapy students in her department.
The Children's Day Hospital
Eva Frommer believed that children needed to learn how to understand themselves and express their feelings. This would help them avoid depression or difficult behaviors. She created a special treatment center for young children. It was located in Black Prince Road, near the main hospital.
Her treatment program used color, sound, eurythmy (a type of movement), storytelling, and plays. These methods were based on Rudolf Steiner's educational ideas. The center also focused on training its staff. They even invited special guests, like Cicely Berry, a voice coach from the Royal Shakespeare Company. This unique approach gained interest from people all over the world.
Later Life and Legacy
Eva Frommer loved the theatre and opera. She was a regular visitor to London's opera houses. She also helped charities and connected with groups to benefit her patients. She traveled a lot for work, giving talks at international conferences. She also enjoyed traveling for fun.
In the mid-1980s, after a trip to China, she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and an auto-immune condition. Despite her health challenges, she continued her work until 1989. She then retired to Sussex, where her mother had lived. The Children's Day Hospital closed in 1990. Eva Frommer passed away in 2004 at Michael Hall, a Steiner community and school in Forest Row, England.
Eva Frommer left an important legacy. She was one of the first doctors to create a special place for very young children and their parents to receive therapy. She used the arts to help them, and she encouraged artists to be part of the healing process. Today, using arts in health settings is much more common.
She also wanted Rudolf Steiner's writings to be more widely known in English-speaking countries. She left money to help translate and publish all of his works.
