"On Suggestion" by John Bostock, 1923: A comparison with twenty-first century understandings of the placebo effect.

OBJECTIVES: This paper describes Australian psychiatrist John Bostock's 1923 concept of suggestion and compares it to our understandings, in 2023, of the placebo effect. CONCLUSIONS: Bostock's 1923 article on "suggestion" gives us a glimpse of the history of Australian psychiatry. It also stimulates thought about the current understandings of the placebo effect. Now, as then, placebo effects can play a critical role in patient outcomes. However, careful consideration is required to ensure contemporary ethical standards are met and harm is not done.

The history and development of Australia's Black Dog Institute

OBJECTIVE: To overview the development of the Sydney-based Black Dog Institute. METHODS: The strengths and limitations of the Institute's predecessor (the Mood Disorders Unit) gave way to a more ambitious Black Dog Institute, and this article gives an overview of the Institute's structural and functional components. RESULTS: It is argued that the Institute serves as a model for modern psychiatric service delivery. CONCLUSIONS: The Institute's model of linking clinical, research, education and community activities to advance the understanding, diagnosis and management of mood disorders is detailed for wider consideration.