IN MEMORIAM

IN MEMORIAM

George Freeman Solomon

Professor of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, Emeritus

Los Angeles

1931—2001

Dr. George F. Solomon, one of the first scientists to see a link between emotions and immunity, died on Oct. 7th, 2001 in Los Angeles, where he resided.

 

Dr. Solomon was a pioneer in the development of the field of brain, behavior and immunity. He was among the very first to challenge the notion of an autonomous immune system and to document relationships between the brain and the immune system. Despite much resistance on the part of the biomedical community, Dr. Solomon pursued these ideas with tenacity.

 

In his own words, George Solomon described his perspective on the field of psychoneuroimmunology and his contributions to its development by saying, “Curiosity, serendipity, psychodynamics, and the ability to put together disparate observations all play roles in the process of scientific discovery. Tenacity, frustration tolerance, and believing the encouragement of some and ignoring the negativism of others play important roles in the fruition of any new observations and theories. The evolution of my contributions to what is now the burgeoning field of psychoneuroimmunology illustrate all these factors.”

 

Starting in the 1960s, Dr. Solomon conducted research on the effects of psychological factors on diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Working with Rudolf Moos, a clinical psychologist, George published classic studies describing the life histories and personality characteristics of arthritis patients, in an effort to understand the observed association between emotional states and the onset and course of rheumatoid arthritis. But, as related by Dr. Robert Ader, professor of psychiatry, medicine and psychology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Dr. Solomon became discouraged in the early 1970s that not enough attention was being paid to what he had christened psychoimmunology. He turned his focus to the study of violence and criminal behavior until a surge of interest in psychoneuroimmunlogy in the 1980s swept him back into the field. He then concentrated on studying the characteristics of long-term AIDS patients and the psychobiological mechanisms that contributed to their health and longevity. George joined the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the University of California in Los Angeles and, given the interest in the relationships between psychological factors and healing that George shared with Norman Cousins, the Cousins Center Task Force in Psychoneuroimmunology. By virtue of his work and presence in psychoneuroimmunology, George Solomon became synonymous with the field.

 

George Freeman Solomon was born on Nov. 25, 1931, in Freeport, N.Y. His father, Joseph, was a child psychiatrist who later collaborated on papers with his son. His mother, Ruth Freeman Solomon, was an historical novelist. George earned bachelor's and medical degrees from Stanford University. From 1959 to 1961, he was chief of the Mental Health Consultation Service at Fort McClellan, Alabama. He went on to hold professorships at Stanford, the University of California at Los Angeles and the University of California at San Francisco, where he was vice chairman of the psychiatry department from 1978 to 1983. Other positions included those of director of medical education at the Fresno Department of Public Health and chief of psychoneuroimmunology at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Sepulveda, in Los Angeles. He became professor emeritus at UCLA in 1995.

 

In his autobiography, From Psyche to Soma and Back, George wrote, “I most value contributing to human knowledge, helping others, being socially responsible, being a good friend, father and husband (and having sports cars).” As his friends and colleagues well know, George F. Solomon succeeded – and succeeded with panache – in fulfilling all of these aspirations.

 

                            Michael Irwin