Dr. Karl Menninger (1893-1990) was one of the foremost practitioners and advocates of psychiatry in the USA. One of his accomplishments was explaining psychiatry to the general public, challenging the idea held by many that the mentally ill or emotionally disturbed were ‘lunatics’ to be confined to insane asylums.
Menninger felt that psychiatric treatment, in the proper circumstances, was helpful for virtually every emotionally disturbed individual. In founding the Menninger Clinic and Foundation in Topeka, he emphasised creating a humane environment for patients to reside in during treatment.
Karl Menninger was clearly an extraordinary man and a pioneer in the field of humanist psychiatry.
You can read more about him and his life here.