William Andrew Dibden, AM (1914-1993) 
Papers 1979-1991

MSS 0073

 

Biographical Note

William Andrew Dibden, AM
Psychiatrist; director of Mental Health Services in South Australia,1967-78; president, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, 1965-66.
Born Sydney, March 22, 1914. Died Adelaide, October 17, aged 79.
Dibden established the South Australian Association of Mental Health; and, as its leader he was largely responsible for raising public money to found a chair of mental health at Adelaide University. During his period as director of Mental Health Services in South Australia, he rewrote the mental health legislation – a body of work which foreshadowed the reforms of the civil rights movement and that of Brian Burdekin.
Dibden graduated from the University of Adelaide in 1939.

Contents Listing

Series 1. William Andrew Dibden - bibliographic details; correspondence with the Registrar and the Dean of Medicine re proposed submission of Doctor of Medicine thesis 1951 and 1957; Psychiatric experiences, 1939-1949 (dated 4 November 1982). Obituary Advertiser December 23 1983. 4 items.


Series 2. Publication and papers listing; photocopy of paper "The hyperventilation syndrome', from the Medical journal of Australia, Sept. 17, 1949. 2 items


Series 3. Biography of psychiatry - W.A. Dibden. Oral history: record of taped interviews, October 1979- July 1991 (listed alphabetically under name of interviewee), 1991. 1 listing.


Series 4. Transcripts of tapes. 1979-1990.  22 items
4.1. R.S. Kalucy and W.A. Dibden, 5 Oct. 1979
4.2. Dr. Harry Southwood and W.A. Dibden, 3 Nov. 1979
4.3. Dr Bill Salter  and W.A. Dibden, 20 Nov. 1979
4.4. H.T. Kay and W.A. Dibden, 26 Nov. 1979
4.5. R.S. Kalucy and W.A. Dibden, Nov. 1979
4.6. R.S. Kalucy and W.A. Dibden, Dec. 1979. (2 separate typescripts)
4.7. R.S. Kalucy and W.A. Dibden, 22 Feb. 1980
4.8. R.S. Kalucy and W.A. Dibden, 20 Mar. 1980
4.9. R.S. Kalucy, Prof. Cramond and Bertine, May 1981
4.10. Colin Haynes and W.A. Dibden, 21 Jul. 1981
4.11. R.S. Kalucy and W.A. Dibden, 28 Aug. 1981
4.12. Howard Lloyd and W.A. Dibden, 24 Sept. 1981
4.13. R.S. Kalucy and W.A. Dibden, 20 Nov. 1981
4.14. Further comments by Howard Lloyd, Dec. 1981
4.15. Joe Craig and W.A. Dibden, 14 Apr. 1982
4.16. R.S. Kalucy and W.A. Dibden, 23 Apr. 1982
4.17. The Maudsley Hospital, 1949-1951. W.A. Dibden, 8 Nov. 1982
4.18. R.S. Kalucy and Dr. Lother Hoff 
4.19. Prof. Bill Cramond and W.A. Dibden, 28 Apr. 1985
4.20. Dudley Byrne and W.A. Dibden, 17 Sept. 1985
4.21. Prof. Bill Cramond and W.A. Dibden, 6 Oct. 1985
4.22. Brian Shea and W.A. Dibden, 30 Apr. 1990
4.22. John Cawte and W.A. Dibden, 20 Nov. 1990


Series 5. Tape recordings of interviews conducted. 1979-1991. 25 sound cassette tapes (plus 25 CD copies).

Series 6. Invitation to launch of electronic publication, A biography of psychiatry, 1 May 2001, Ira Raymond Room, Barr Smith Library.

Series 7. A biography of psychiatry / W.A. Dibden (printout) 252 p.

These papers were deposited by Maureen Bell, with permission from the family, in May 2001. They came over with Maureen from the Glenside Hospital Library and were used by Dr. Dibden in compiling his book A biography of psychiatry  [Adelaide: The Author, 1993?]

A copy of Dibden's book is held in Rare Books and Special Collections (616.890092 D544b).  It was also digitised in 2001 by the University of Adelaide, Barr Smith Library and can be viewed online via Adelaide Research & Scholarship.