Meg Patterson

Margaret Angus Patterson (9 November 1922 – 25 July 2002) was a Scottish surgeon and medical missionary who developed a method for treating drug addiction she called "neuro-electric therapy" (NET). While the therapy gained public attention through celebrity endorsements, it was met with skepticism by the medical community due to a lack of formal evidence. Some modern clinical trials have found that a device based on her principles is effective for reducing opioid withdrawal symptoms.

Early life and education Margaret Angus Ingram was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1922. The daughter of Alexander Ingram, she was the youngest of five children. Patterson started medical school at 21 during World War II, and qualified as a member Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons when she was 25, the only woman in the group.

Career Patterson went to India as a medical missionary. For her work establishing and expanding clinics in India she was awarded the MBE in 1961. On returning to the UK she and her husband collaborated to popularise the technique, which became popular with rock and pop stars.

In 1976, Patterson set up a clinic in Broadhurst Manor, East Sussex, funded by the Robert Stigwood Organisation. Donors misleadingly marketed the clinic as "a cure for heroin addiction", which it was not. In 1981, funding ran out and she moved the clinic to California.

A 1986 article in New Scientist said that the medical establishment viewed Patterson as a quack for trying to remove addiction with tiny electrical currents, and that one clinical trial found it to be ineffective. People magazine said there was "disbelief and even hostility from Britain's medical establishment and from the US medical world".

Death and legacy In 1999, Patterson had a major stroke a week after opening a clinic in Tijuana. In 2001, she and her husband returned to Scotland, where she died on 25 July 2002. She was survived by her husband, a daughter, two sons, and five grandchildren. This research led to the development of a transcutaneous alternating current stimulator (tACS), which received FDA clearance in 2024 for use with patients in opioid withdrawal.

A follow-up study published in 2025 examined post-discharge outcomes among patients who received NET Device™ monotherapy during residential opioid detoxification. The study reported lower rates of opioid and psychostimulant use over a three-month period among participants who received active stimulation for more than 24 hours, compared with control conditions. The authors noted that the findings were based on secondary analyses and recommended further independent replication.

Awards and honours MBE, 1961