Wednesday, July 7, 2010

'Father of modern gerontology' Robert N. Butler dies at 83


By Emma Brown Washington Post Staff Writer

Robert N. Butler, 83, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, psychiatrist and expert on aging who helped illuminate the "quiet despair, deprivation, desolation and muted rage" that he said characterized the act of growing old in America, and who co-wrote a best-selling sex manual for senior citizens, died July 4 at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. He had leukemia.


For more than half a century, Dr. Butler was a leading advocate in academic and policy circles for the dignified treatment and care of the elderly. He coined the term "ageism" to describe systematic discrimination against older people and challenged lawmakers, scientists and medical students to consider how to create a health-care system in which Americans could grow old gracefully.
Read More About Dr Butler and His Accomplishments

Photo Credit: Larry Barns/mount Sinai Medical Center
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