Histories

Robert Ley Moody was born on 7 January 1909 and received his medical education at St. Thomas's Hospital, graduating M.B.,B.S. in 1935 and taking the Conjoint diploma in the same year. He held a number of posts including registrar in psychological medicine and in child psychiatry at Guy's Hospital, and Clinical Director of the Child Guidance Training Centre. In addition he held the Sir Alfred Fripp memorial research fellowship in child psychiatry in Guy's Hospital. He took the D.P.M. in 1938. He was appointed child psychiatrist to St. George's Hospital in 1948 and worked at the Victoria Hospital fir Children (then the paediatric department of St. George's Hospital). In 1952 he was chairman of the Society of Analytical Psychiatry and in 1957 president of the International Association for Analytical Psychiatry. The whole paediatric unit of St. George's later moved to temporary buildings in Tooting, and in 1965 the department of child psychiatry became independent of the main department of psychiatry. Robert Moody continued as its director, and the staff was increased. This was a great achievement, for he felt strongly that child psychiatry had a position of its own, and he always sought a close liaison with the paediatric department. This had now been achieved. Students were taught by Dr. Moody and his team while studying paediatrics, and were able to benefit from the integrated teaching and see the value to patients of such a liaison.

Robert was quiet man, but he had nevertheless great ambition and drive for the progress of his department, in which he appeared as a gentle fatherly figure. His wisdom and kindliness were apparent at interdepartmental consultations and discussion sessions, and often he raised the proceedings from a rather humdrum level by his humour, wit, and clearsightedness. He was primarily a clinician, and his brand clinical approach also incorporated and analytical insight.

He will be greatly missed, and it is a tragedy that he died before seeing his department settled and flourishing in the proposed new buildings of St. George's at Tooting.Not only have we lost a valued colleague but we have also lost a friend.

He was married and had one daughter.