George Alexander Young, Sr., MD
Item
Title
George Alexander Young, Sr., MD
Description
Born in England in 1876, George Alexander Young, Sr., MD, and his family immigrated to the United States in 1884 when Dr. Young was eight years old, eventually settling in North Loup Valley, Nebraska. He attended medical school at the University of Chicago and returned to Nebraska in 1901 after completing an internship at Cook County Hospital.
Dr. Young’s first position was as the pathologist for the State Hospital in Norfolk, Nebraska. He then became assistant superintendent at the State Hospital in Lincoln and helped establish the nurses training program from 1902 to 1906 before returning to the State Hospital at Norfolk as superintendent from 1906 to 1908. In 1909, Dr. Young traveled to London, England, and Zurich, Switzerland, conducting post-graduate study in neuropsychiatry under famed Swiss psychoanalyst, Dr. Carl Jung.
Upon returning to Nebraska in 1910, Dr. Young opened a private practice in Omaha. In 1912, he joined the Department of Nervous and Mental Diseases at Creighton University, where he was chair until 1916. During this period, he was also an instructor in the Department of Nervous and Mental Diseases at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine. In 1917, he joined the UNMC faculty full-time and became chair in 1919, serving 27 years in the position. Under his leadership, the department went through several transitions, including a change of name in 1926 to the Department of Neurology and Psychiatry. During his career at UNMC, Dr. Young also served as chief of staff at Douglas County Hospital, was a member of the County Board of Mental Health, and served as a consultant in psychiatry to the Union Pacific Railroad. He is credited with introducing the use of insulin in the Midwest as a treatment for some mental illnesses.
Dr. Young’s private practice eventually united with Harrison Alonzo Wigton, MD, another professor in the Department of Neurology and Psychiatry. Their practice was the predecessor of the WAY (Wigton-Aita-Young) Clinic. Dr. Young became professor emeritus in 1946 and fully retired from practice in 1953. He passed away November 3, 1957. Dr. Young passed on his passion to his children and grandchildren who also taught in the Department of Psychiatry and practiced at the WAY Clinic.
Dr. Young’s first position was as the pathologist for the State Hospital in Norfolk, Nebraska. He then became assistant superintendent at the State Hospital in Lincoln and helped establish the nurses training program from 1902 to 1906 before returning to the State Hospital at Norfolk as superintendent from 1906 to 1908. In 1909, Dr. Young traveled to London, England, and Zurich, Switzerland, conducting post-graduate study in neuropsychiatry under famed Swiss psychoanalyst, Dr. Carl Jung.
Upon returning to Nebraska in 1910, Dr. Young opened a private practice in Omaha. In 1912, he joined the Department of Nervous and Mental Diseases at Creighton University, where he was chair until 1916. During this period, he was also an instructor in the Department of Nervous and Mental Diseases at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine. In 1917, he joined the UNMC faculty full-time and became chair in 1919, serving 27 years in the position. Under his leadership, the department went through several transitions, including a change of name in 1926 to the Department of Neurology and Psychiatry. During his career at UNMC, Dr. Young also served as chief of staff at Douglas County Hospital, was a member of the County Board of Mental Health, and served as a consultant in psychiatry to the Union Pacific Railroad. He is credited with introducing the use of insulin in the Midwest as a treatment for some mental illnesses.
Dr. Young’s private practice eventually united with Harrison Alonzo Wigton, MD, another professor in the Department of Neurology and Psychiatry. Their practice was the predecessor of the WAY (Wigton-Aita-Young) Clinic. Dr. Young became professor emeritus in 1946 and fully retired from practice in 1953. He passed away November 3, 1957. Dr. Young passed on his passion to his children and grandchildren who also taught in the Department of Psychiatry and practiced at the WAY Clinic.
Rights
From the McGoogan Health Sciences Library Special Collections and Archives