Robert Brocklesby Davis

Robert Brocklesby Davis (27 December 1911 – 7 October 1980) was a british-born psychiatrist known for his contributions to mental health care and education in India.

Early life and education Davis was born on 27 December 1911 in Amritsar to Dr. George Brocklesby Davis, a missionary doctor, and Lucy Howard, a missionary schoolteacher. He was the eldest of eight children. In 1919, amidst political unrest against britishers in British India, his family relocated to Ely, England.

He was educated at Stowe School in Buckinghamshire and earned a B.A. in Anatomy, Physiology, and Psychology from Cambridge University in 1932. Davis completed his M.R.C.S. & L.R.C.P. in 1935 and his M.B.B.S. from Cambridge in 1936. His interest in psychiatry led to his appointment as Psychiatric Specialist for the Northern Command from 1938 to 1942. He commanded the 80th Indian Field Ambulance (Parachute) and led an evacuation of injured soldiers through the jungles of Nagaland under enemy fire.

European Mental Hospital In 1946, Davis became the Superintendent of the European Mental Hospital in Ranchi. Post-independence, he facilitated the renaming of the hospital to the Interprovincial Mental Hospital and opened it to Indian patients. The introduction of psychosurgery in Ranchi, collaborating with military surgeons in the absence of a neurosurgeon. The nursing home was named after his friend, Maharaj Kumar Raj Kishore Shahdeo. He also contributed to drafting the Mental Health Act, 1987. Davis was a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK, and represented India at international conferences, including the World Congresses of Psychiatry in Paris (1950) and Montreal (1961).

Death Robert Brocklesby Davis died on 7 October 1980 in Charlotteville, USA, after a sudden coronary thrombosis while visiting his sister. To honor his legacy, the R.B. Davis Oration was established by the Indian Psychiatric Society – Eastern Zonal Branch. This oration is delivered annually at the society's conference.