Merton Sandler

Merton Sandler FRCP, FRCPath, FRCPsych (28 March 1926 to 24 August 2014) was a British professor of chemical pathology and a pioneer in biological psychiatry. Together with his colleague Michael Pare, he formulated an early version of the monoamine hypothesis of depression in 1959. They proposed that the condition results from a deficiency of monoamine neurotransmitters in the brain, and this work contributed to the development of modern antidepressants. He also demonstrated that deprenyl (selegiline) was a safe and effective treatment for Parkinson's disease, and he produced influential research on migraine, alcoholism and schizophrenia. Over the course of his career he published more than 700 scientific papers, many of which became citation classics. He won a scholarship to the Manchester Grammar School and then studied medicine at the University of Manchester, qualifying in 1949.

Career

Early career and National Service After qualifying, Sandler held house posts in Manchester and then worked as a resident pathologist at Preston Royal Infirmary. He held visiting professorships at the University of New Mexico in 1983, the Chicago Medical School in 1984, and the University of South Florida in 1988. His team further showed that deprenyl did not produce the tyramine reaction, commonly called the "cheese effect", that is associated with other monoamine oxidase inhibitors, which established the drug's safety profile. Deprenyl remains in widespread clinical use for Parkinson's disease. The monoamine oxidase B inhibitory component of tribulin was later identified as isatin. The organisation was originally called the British Academy of Psychopharmacology, and it held its inaugural meeting on 22 April 1974 at the Royal Society of Medicine. Sandler served as the association's president from 1980 to 1982.

He was a member of the Athenaeum Club, and his recreations included reading, music and travel. Arnold Friedman Distinguished Clinician Researcher Award (1991) Honorary doctorate, Semmelweis University, Budapest (1992) British Association for Psychopharmacology Lifetime Achievement Award (1999) CINP Pioneer Award for lifetime contribution to monoamine studies in human health and disease (2006)