H.M. van Praag

Herman Meïr van Praag (born 17 October 1929) is a Dutch psychiatrist. He was a professor of psychiatry at the University of Groningen, Utrecht University, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Maastricht University. Van Praag is considered the founder of biological psychiatry in the Netherlands. After his retirement, he has written extensively on religiosity.

Life Early life Van Praag was born on 17 October 1929 in Schiedam. Van Praag is Jewish. His grandparents on both sides were among the first Zionists in the Netherlands, while his parents were non-religious. During the German occupation of the Netherlands his father, an engineer and jurist for the government was fired. Van Praag himself was taken by the Ordnungspolizei from his primary school in 1942. Between 1942 and 1945 he imprisoned in camp Barneveld and later in Westerbork transit camp and Theresienstadt concentration camp. Together with his parents and sister he survived the war. He obtained his doctorate in medicine at Utrecht University in 1962 under professor with a thesis titled: "Een kritisch onderzoek naar de betekenis van monoamineoxydase-remming als therapeutisch principe bij de behandeling van depressies". He was the first professor of biological psychiatry in the Netherlands. During his time in Groningen he was founder of an institute for biological psychiatric research, which was the first in Europe. Van Praag was professor of psychiatry at Utrecht University between 1978 and 1982. He was a professor of psychiatry at Maastricht University between 1993 and his retirement in 1997. He is known for his criticism of diagnostic systems within psychiatry and arguing for a more functional diagnosis. Van Praag has also worked on the search for biological markers for psychiatric syndromes. He was one of the earliest researchers into 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic acid of cerebrospinal fluid of depressed patients.

In 1965 van Praag received the Ramaer medal for psychiatry of the Nederlandse Vereniging voor Psychiatrie en Neurologie. Van Praag was made Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion in 1990. He was elected a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1993. In 2007 he was named an honorary member of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology.

In 2011 the book 'God, religie en ons brein. In gesprek met psychiater Herman van Praag' was published by Dutch journalist and writer Tjerk de Reus (1971), on life, opinions and academic works of Herman M. van Praag, based on in-depth interviews during 2010-2011.

Personal life As of 2018, van Praag was married for over 60 years, the couple had four children. He is close friends with neurobiologist Dick Swaab although the two disagree fundamentally on the role of the brain versus the totality of the human being. He has argued for more interest of psychiatrists in religiosity.