Huib van Dis only lost his wild hair later in life.
Huib van Dis has left his mark on many people. His appearance hardly went unnoticed by passers-by, not to mention psychology students at the University of Amsterdam. With his rugged body, curly gray hair – which he cut himself – and his extraordinary bow tie, Van Dis was a hard man to ignore.
There was a reason for that bow tie, he liked to say. Her daughter Jana was once hospitalized as a baby and because her tie dangled in the toilet while she was breastfed, she switched to the bow tie.
Sex and drugs
That eccentric piece of clothing perhaps suited him better. The fact that Van Dis, as a product of the ’60s, would one day wear a tie was a crazy idea in the hippie era. Because the Amsterdam-born man – his parents’ house is located in the Jekerstraat in the Rivierenbuurt – immersed himself with great pleasure in the magical spirit of the times.
This is how he explored his own mind with LSD. Van Dis had a friend make observations while he himself was under the influence and vice versa. Furthermore, he had little regard for civilization; for a long time he had no fixed address and was difficult for government agencies to track down (“I’m afraid of letters”). He also enjoyed sexual freedom. He had five children by three women and was not always the father his young offspring wanted.
Experience the male pill
Van Dis’s private interests were often reflected in his scientific work. For example, his cousin, who was three years his junior, the writer Adriaan van Dis, told an anecdote during the funeral about a pill that Huib was working on; a contraceptive pill for men. Adriaan himself took part in the experiment, where he had to achieve orgasm with his own hands, covered with electrodes on his head and chest. The product never reached the finish line.
Van Dis studied medicine, psychology and later also epidemiology. Although his mother especially wanted him to become a professor, that never happened. Van Dis did not earn his doctorate. At his funeral, former colleague Bob Bermond – who had a PhD – recalled that Van Dis, as an employee of the Netherlands Brain Institute, had been deceived by a fellow student, who had allegedly let slip his ideas he.
Arousal in castrated rats
Van Dis has been affiliated with the University of Amsterdam since 1960, where he focused on neuropsychology. While Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis was still at its peak, Van Dis turned his attention to the biological determinants of behavior, which are more common today. For example, Van Dis examined sexual arousal in castrated rats through brain stimulation at the Brain Institute.
Van Dis was also affiliated with OLVG. There he helped create the department of medical psychology, a field of study on the connection between physical and mental problems. Consider the influence of HIV infection on the development of dementia, as became evident during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. Or psychological side effects of medications.
Referendum
During his long career, Van Dis was also president of the cultural center De Melkweg, near Leidseplein, for many years. He has also made a foray into municipal politics. As a resident of an apartment on the Bloemgracht, he organized a referendum in 2001 to prevent the city center from being governed independently through its own sub-council. He mobilized 110,000 votes against; 22,000 too few to stop the decision.
Van Dis was boundless in his interest and passion for the work. At his funeral, Bermond talked about the pharmacology textbook that Van Dis had placed in his car. The reference book was located next to the accelerator pedal. If the light was red, he could see it quickly, he said.
His brain never stopped. Van Dis followed current events closely and was full of ideas on his field. Partly through various leadership positions at professional organizations, he influenced an entire generation of (neuro) psychologists. He also guided with great interest many students, with whom he loved to meet in cafes. Until the end of his life, Van Dis carried out his field of expertise at the Medical History Meeting Point in Urk.
Calmer waters
As he progressed, his personal life entered calmer waters. He had a stable relationship in his early sixties and became more of a family man to his children. He was also the proud grandfather of eight grandchildren.
Even in his eighties, Van Dis continued to share his original vision of the world with friends, acquaintances and strangers. He died on December 22 in his bedroom, surrounded by the books and publications he loved.
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2024-01-02 15:14:46
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