Personal Reflections on the Development of Cyberspace

Abstract

Shortly after returning to the London Hospital from Uganda in 1974, and still jet-lagged and culture-shocked, I had an unexpected call from a Dr. Kumar at the Maudsley Hospital whose name was then unfamiliar to me. Stephen Wolkind (Child Psychiatrist at the London Hospital working with Professor Pond) had informed him that I had completed a study of postnatal depression in East Africa and had used Goldberg's Standardised Psychiatric Interview (SPI) translated into Luganda. Could we meet, and could I advise him on the use of the SPI? I was surprised, flattered and motivated by this request. We met in Turner St, London El. This was the beginning of a friendly and mutually respectful collaboration, which facilitated the later development of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), helped launch the 1980 meeting in Manchester, when the Marc Society was founded, and motivated Phase One of the International Transcultural Postnatal Depression Study. Channi Kumar was a fine team player, and as a leader had that knack of making you feel respected and at ease. His greeting 'Come in dear boy and have a seat' when he ushered you to a chair piled high with research papers, was characteristic of his style and productivity. We would then talk, not only about screening scales, but about College matters and the Perinatal Special Interest Group (which later became a Specialty Section), as well as our 'Blue Skies' research programmes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)