Griffith Edwards' work on the life course of alcohol dependence

In 1976 Edwards & Gross proposed the concept of the alcohol dependence syndrome, based on the clinical observation that heavy drinkers manifested an inter-related clustering of signs and symptoms. That this modest 'provisional description' turned out to be so significant and influential is perhaps unsurprising when the context in which it was made is appreciated. Griffith Edwards and his colleagues at the Maudsley Hospital had undergone a rigorous 3-year training in clinical psychiatry, during which they had been taught to think critically and were grounded in the art of clinical observation. As he assessed patients for various alcohol research studies he realized that there was a clustering of certain elements. Thus clinical observation and an appreciation of the patient's drinking history contributed to the genesis of the concept. This paper reflects on the integration of his rigorous training at the Maudsley, his enquiring mind and encyclopaedic knowledge of the historical and research literature which enabled him to formulate a testable hypothesis about the alcohol dependence syndrome.