Dr. Solon D. Samuels; Pioneered Lithium Use

Dr. Solon D. Samuels, 90, psychiatrist who pioneered use of lithium to treat manic-depressive disorders. Samuels spent most of his medical career in Los Angeles, beginning at what is now the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He later served as director of the Southland’s Gateways Hospital and Mental Health Center where, in the 1960s, he was among the first to use lithium effectively with manic-depressive patients. Samuels taught psychology at USC, held staff positions at the Southland’s Thalians Mental Health Center and Edgemont Hospital, and helped found the Free Foundation and the Beverly Hills Transactional Analysis Institute. Endorsing transactional analysis, he was on the original board of directors of the International Transactional Analysis Assn. He also served as chairman of the Los Angeles County Citizens Advisory Commission on Alcoholism in the 1950s. A native of New York City, Samuels earned a medical degree at New York University. As an Army captain during World War II, he supervised front line medical units in North Africa, France and Italy. On Jan. 5 in Santa Fe, N.M.