A memorable gathering at Melbourne University recently celebrated the remarkable life and contributions of Malcolm Bruce Macmillan (Mac) (1 Jan 1929—11 Aug 2024).
Mac was one of the Monash University intro teachers in 1966 who helped me discover psychology as an absorbing science. I happily switched from physics and have been with psych and stats ever since. Thanks Mac! I’ll say a little here about two of his books.
Phineas Gage and the Tamping Iron
Numerous textbooks include brief accounts of the railway worker who, in 1848, miraculously survived—for 11 years!—a massive metal bar destroying much of his left frontal lobe. Seeking a case study to illustrate a lecture, Mac discovered how little was known of Gage and his story.
After many years and painstaking chasing of original sources round the world, in 2000 An Odd Kind of Fame appeared (MIT Press). A preview is here. It’s an enormous work, beautifully written, describing how the case has been used and misused as neuroscience has developed.
Mac’s Gage page here is a wonderful trove of (accurate!) Gage information. Read here about the 150th anniversary meeting Mac organized, which was held in Cavendish, Vermont where the accident happened. You can see here the memorial plaque unveiled during the meeting.
Freud Evaluated
Mac’s even larger exposition and critique of Freud’s work has become a classic. Arising from maybe two decades of study and writing, Freud Evaluated appeared in 1997 (MTI Press). A preview of an earlier version is here. An interview that gives a good idea of Mac’s incisive analysis (sorry!) of Freud’s ideas and methods is here.
International Society for the History of the Neurosciences
Mac was a co-founder of the Society and, for many years, an active contributor. He was also a co-founder, and co-editor 2005-2017, of the Journal of the History of the Neurosciences.
And furthermore…
I could go on. His book Snowy Campbell: Australian Pioneer Investigator of the Brain (2016). His role in developing clinical psychology in Australia… and that’s not to mention the Macmillan tartan kilt, single malts, and jazz.
Above all, a distinguished scholar, and a warm, engaging person.
Geoff
P.S. Thanks to Edith, Mac’s partner, for assistance with this post.