astronomy

Samuel Corson

Samuel Corson is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Samuel Corson rather than just read about it. In short: Samuel Abraham Corson (31 December 1909 – 27 January 1998) was an American professor of psychiatry at Ohio State University who, with his wife Elizabeth, led early research into pet therapy, which contributed to dogs and other pets becoming commonplace in settings such as nursing homes. His initial research involved applying Pavlovian techniques in the study of the effects of stress on dogs.

Key takeaways

Samuel Corson belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Samuel Corson to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Samuel Corson from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Samuel Abraham Corson (31 December 1909 – 27 January 1998) was an American professor of psychiatry at Ohio State University who, with his wife Elizabeth, led early research into pet therapy, which contributed to dogs and other pets becoming commonplace in settings such as nursing homes. His initial research involved applying Pavlovian techniques in the study of the effects of stress on dogs. Subsequently, by chance, Corson and his wife became interested in what they termed "pet-facilitated psychotherapy" when some adolescent patients with mental illness asked to meet the animals. They then extended pet facilitated therapy to the elderly. In 1975, Corson described the case of an elderly man who spoke for the first time in 26 years after being introduced to a dog named Whiskey.

Early life and education Samuel Corson was born on 31 December 1909 in Dobryanka, a small village 200 miles from Odessa, Russian Empire, and moved to Philadelphia in his teens. He had one sister. He gained a doctorate in biophysics at the University of Texas after studying physiology at New York University and the University of Pennsylvania.

Career In 1960, Corson was appointed professor of psychiatry and biophysics at Ohio State University, where, with his wife Elizabeth, he established a research laboratory. His initial research involved applying Pavlovian techniques in the study of the effects of stress on dogs. Their daughter Olivia later recounted that she was "traumatized by aspects of their early work". Subsequently, by chance, Corson and his wife became interested in what they termed "pet-facilitated psychotherapy" when some adolescent patients in the hospital ward above the dogs' kennel asked to meet the animals. The dogs consisted of beagles, Border Collies, Wirehair Fox Terriers, a Labrador Retriever, and one German Shepherd-husky mix called Whiskey, whose aggressive affection attracted the attention of some adolescents who were overly energetic. The patients had previously not responded favorably to traditional treatments and following the introduction of pets all the studied cases had improved. Corson subsequently published several case studies of the interaction between dogs and those with mental illness. He believed the dogs had two particular attributes:

their ability to offer love and tactile reassurance without criticism and their maintenance of a sort of perpetual infantile innocent dependence that may stimulate our natural tendency to offer support and protection. The Corsons then extended pet facilitated therapy to the elderly at the Castle Nursing Homes in Millersburg, Ohio. They demonstrated physical improvements in nursing home residents that exercised dogs. In 1975, he described the case of Jed, a withdrawn patient in his late 70s who was assumed to be deaf and had been mute for 26 years following a fall. Upon being introduced to 'Whiskey', Jed said "You brought that dog" and subsequently began to draw pictures of dogs. Corson attributed the success of the therapy to his ability to match the temperament and behavioural traits of different breeds of dog to the needs of individual patients. For example, he observed that playful poodles and wire-haired fox terriers suited immobile and bedridden residents and those who were withdrawn or depressed. Corson retired in 1980.

Family and personal life Corson had a son from his first marriage and two daughters from his second marriage to Elizabeth. He had one stepson.

Death and legacy Corson died in Granger, Indiana, on 27 January 1998. His work on pets in psychiatry contributed to dogs and other pets becoming commonplace in settings such as nursing homes.

Selected publications Corson, S. A.; Corson, E. O.; Gwynne, P. H.; Arnold, L. E. (1975). "Pet-facilitated Psychotherapy in a Hospital Setting". Current Psychiatric Therapies. 15: 277–286. ISSN 0070-2080. PMID 1237389. Corson, Samuel A.; Arnold, L. Eugene; Gwynne, Peter H.; Corson, Elizabeth O'Leary (1 January 1977). "Pet Dogs as Nonverbal Communication Links in Hospital Psychiatry". Comprehensive Psychiatry. 18 (1): 61–72. doi:10.1016/S0010-440X(77)80008-4. ISSN 0010-440X. PMID 556686. Corson, S. A.; Corson, E. O. (1978). "Pets as Mediators of Therapy". Current Psychiatric Therapies. 18: 195–205. ISSN 0070-2080. PMID 572757. Corson, Samuel (2012). Psychiatry and Psychology in the USSR. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-1-4613-4298-4.

References

External links FBI file on Samuel Corson

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Samuel Corson

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Samuel Corson claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Samuel Corson before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Samuel Corson ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Samuel Corson

In research: Samuel Corson appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Samuel Corson in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Samuel Corson is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1909 births, 1998 deaths, 20th-century American medical doctors, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Samuel Corson outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Samuel Corson” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Samuel Corson in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Samuel Corson means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Samuel Corson out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Samuel Corson in simple terms?

Why does Samuel Corson matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Samuel Corson?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Samuel Corson.