Bulk dates: 1917-1933 | Inclusive dates: 1875-1958 2 linear feet
Abstract: Professional papers, correspondence, drawings, slides and other documents including artifacts concerning the medical and teaching career of Phineas Aloysius Cycloid [Kycloedis], Greek born physician, Professor of Neuroscience Psychiatry at the University of Paris and Professor of Psychiatry at the London University and Doctor of Psychiatry at the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. Latter known for his extreme use of psychotropic drugs in combination with electro-shock therapy on mental patients causing the death of one such patient at the Banstead Asylum in England and a number of suspected death at the Pennsylvania Hospital Psychiatric ward.
Source of acquisition: See Provenance.
Related sources:
Cite this collection as follows: Phineas A. Cycloid, Manuscript Collection No. 04.01.2010, Special Projects Department, “In A Bind Studio”, Old Orchard Beach, ME 04064
Professional papers, correspondence, drawings, slides and other documents including artifacts concerning the medical and teaching career of Phineas Aloysius Cycloid [Kycloedis], Greek born physician, Professor of Neuroscience Psychiatry at the University of Paris and Professor of Psychiatry at the London University and Doctor of Psychiatry at the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. Latter known for his extreme use of psychotropic drugs in combination with electro-shock therapy on mental patients causing the death of one such patient at the Banstead Asylum in England and a number of suspected death at the Pennsylvania Hospital Psychiatric ward.
Source of acquisition: See Provenance.
Related sources:
Cite this collection as follows: Phineas A. Cycloid, Manuscript Collection No. 04.01.2010, Special Projects Department, “In A Bind Studio”, Old Orchard Beach, ME 04064
Biographical Notes
Phineas Aloysius [Kykloeides ] Cycloid, born in 1860 in Lamia, Greece was the only son of Nicolaos Alexander Kykloeides [barge captain] and mother Aardina Sophia Verkuilen of Greek and Dutch descent.
Very little is known of his parents other than his grandfather, Phineas Kykloeides died during the Greek Revolution against Ottoman empire when his father was 2 years old. His grandmother, Maria, died of typhoid 4 years later, leaving his father an orphan and raised by an aunt in Samos Greece until he left at the age of 15 to work in the Ports of Athens. He became a barge captain at the age of 20 and married a year later.
When young Phineas was 5, he had already mastered mathematics and physics with a strong affinity toward the biological sciences. In order to offer his son a better life, Nicolaos sent Phineas to live with his Dutch uncle in England in 1867 and it was there that Phineas became fascinated with medicine. Before 1870, education was largely a private affair, with wealthy parents sending their children to fee-paying schools, and in this case, Phineas uncle, Bonn Verkuilen (His mother’s brother) paid for tutors to educate Phineas in art, latin and biology. He apprenticed under a chemist in England at the age of 13, (http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/articles/chemists/chemists01.htm) acting as a dispenser to Dr. Spryos Varmaxithis. With a letter of recommendations from Dr. Varmaxithis, at the very young age of 14, Phineas attended the University of Leipzig in Germany and received his Medical Degree in 1882. While attending the same university, he befriended Emil Kraiplen, who studied under the tutelage of Dr. Paul Flechsig who founded the "hirnanatomisches Laboratorium" in 1883. Dr. Fleschsig’s emphasized on cellular and molecular aspects of neuro-degenerative diseases and glial reactions in the brain and the retina. (http://www.uni-leipzig.de/~pfi/pfi/en/home/home.html) This is the time that Phineas became interested in neuroscience and the affect of electronic magnetic resonance with accompanying chemicals to treat lunacy.
In 1888 he received a PhD from the University of Paris in Neuro-Pathological studies and accepted a full professorship at the same University that year. Parisean doctors at that time had a great interest in the treatment of Lunacy and with Phineas new found interest in brain disorders. It is there that Phineas started experimenting with psychotropic drugs and shock treatment to ease the mental disorders of patients. He left in 1899 to come teach at the London University as professor of psychiatry but he resigned from his post as professor after an incident involving the maltreatment of inmates at the Banstead Asylum using psychotropic drugs and electrical shock therapy causing the death of a one young female patient. In order to avoid prosecution, Phineas left England in 1903 for the United States, settling in Philadelphia PA.
There he became Doctor of Psychiatry at the Pennsylvania Hospital working in the psychiatric ward—the incident in England forgotten. Unfortunately, his continued research in psychotropic drugs with electro— shock therapy which was frowned upon because of his extreme use of voltage together with various prescribed psychotropic drugs. This caused his resignation in 1925. It is at this point the Phineas Aloyisius Kycloidies changed his name to Cycloid in order to prevent any more intrusion upon his past works. Sadly, as a recluse, Dr. Clycloid became more removed from the legitimate practice of medicine, which he has already strayed from and starting experimenting with his own unique brand of mental health treatments I falling in line with the other doctors known for their “quackery.” He traveled throughout the United States peddling his own brand of treatment for depression, schitsophrenia, and even cancer
He died 1958 at the age of 99 while treating himself with electro shock therapy and lysergic acid dyethylmid (LSD) for cancer of the prostrate at his small apartment in the city of Philadelphia having suffering five years with terminal cancer.