John Cade
John Cade | |
|---|---|
Cade in 1971 | |
| Born | 18 January 1912 Murtoa, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 16 November 1980 (aged 68) Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupations | Psychiatrist, army medical officer, medical scientist, prisoner of war (Australian), public servant |
| Known for | Discovery of lithium as a mood stabilizer |
| Spouse | Estana Evelyn Jean Charles |
| Children | John (1938), David (1940), Mary (1947), Peter (1948), Richard (1950) |
| Parent(s) | Dr David & Ellen Cade |
John Frederick Joseph Cade AO (18 January 1912 – 16 November 1980) was an Australian psychiatrist who in 1948 discovered the effects of lithium as a mood stabilizer in the treatment of bipolar disorder, then known as manic depression. At a time when the standard treatments for mania were electroconvulsive therapy and lobotomy, lithium had the distinction of being the first effective medication available to treat a mental illness. Cade's discovery in 1948 began a revolution in psychopharmacology.