August Hoch

Benign Stupors August Hoch

August Hoch (1868-1919) was the third director of the New York State Psychiatric Institute in New York City. As a neuropathologist and clinician, he exerted his influence on psychiatric developments during the early 20th century in the United States. Hoch was born in Basel, Switzerland, the son of a minister, who was also director of the Basel University Hospital. At the age of 19, he emigrated to the United States to pursue his education. He spent two years at the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was influenced by Dr. William Osler. When Osler moved to Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, Hoch followed to work at the Johns Hopkins outpatient neurological clinic and to pursue medical training at the University of Maryland. He received his M. D. degree from the University of Maryland in 1890. He remained an assistant to Osler in the clinic. After several years, Hoch accepted a position at the McLean Psychiatric Hospital near Boston, Massachusetts, to develop the pathological and psychological laboratories and the clinical psychiatric programs. Before moving to McLean, he spent two years in Europe to study with Friedrich von Recklinghausen, a pathologist at the University of Strasbourg; with Wilhelm Wundt, a psychologist at the University of Leipzig; and with Emil Kraepelin, a psychiatrist at the University of Heidelberg. He married during his European trip.