Doctor Waldo Fairfield DesmondDr. Desmond was a native of Connecticut and graduated valedictorian from the Rogers Shedidan School in New Haven in 1912 and graduated New Haven High School in 1916. He attended one year at Valpariso University, specializing in pre-med before he enlisted in the US Army in 1918. Because of his background he was sent to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where he gained a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Natural Sciences in 1921. He then attended a summer course at Harvard University as an advanced student majoring in Bacteriology and Medical Psychology. That autumn he enrolled at Yale Medical School and graduated in 1925. While Desmond attended Yale he wrote several articles on endocrinology and received accolades for his thesis on 'The Pituary Gland'. During this time he also studied at Connecticut State Hospital (Now Connecticut Valley Hospital) for two years and spent several months in training at Kentucky Psychiatric Hospital. After graduation he started a medical practice in Newtown. Desmond's study at CSH impressed Dr. Roy Leak so much that he became an invaluable resource because of his knowledge of the Newtown community but also of the needs of the mentally ill. Dr. Desmond attended the meeting that the town held in 1928 opposing the opening of Fairfield State Hospital in their area and managed to change the opinions of the crowd through a speech he gave at that meeting that resulted in an agreement from the citizens to open the hospital. Desmond's recollections of this day may be read here Thought there was some opposition to his speech, he remained in Newtown. He was the psychiatric examiner for the Newtown Probate Court from 1934-1968. From the opening of Fairfield State he also did "mental examinations" as well as took notes on the female patients. For twenty years he served as the Epidemiologist of staff as well Return to Pre-Hospital Opening
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