Dr Jocelyn Eustace, who died recently at the age of 87, was born in Dublin on July 23rd, 1908, the elder of twin boys. Educated at St Columba's, his younger days were overshadowed by poor health and the premature death of his father when Jocelyn was only 11 years old. Following the family tradition, he chose medicine as a career, qualifying from Trinity in 1931. Before settling in Ireland, he worked in the UK in the Royal East Sussex Hospital, Maudsley Hospital and St Andrew's, Northampton. He studied psychiatry as his postgraduate discipline and received his DPM with honours from Trinity in 1936. He then joined the family psychiatric hospitals, Hampstead and Highfield. He became psychotherapist to the Adelaide Hospital and visiting consultant psychiatrist to the Dublin Federation Hospital Group. He lectured in TCD and in 1947, co founded the Kylemore Clinic.
His deep commitment to the advancement of psychiatric medicine led him to play an active role in many medical societies and in 1959, was Ireland's representative at the World Health Conference on mental health in Helsinki. From 1971-72, he was president of the section of Psychiatry of RAMI and in 1972, became a foundation fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatry.
In a long life filled with academic achievements and honours, Jocelyn's greatest delight was in being a doctor. He had the formal manner, quiet kindness and sense of duty which came from his Quaker background. He was kind and caring and interested in people, their well being and their problems. Discreet and diplomatic, only he knew how many he helped throughout the years.
Realistic about his own mortality, he knew in the last year that his independent days were over. While he found it hard to be the "cared for" rather than "the carer", his interest in life, his penetrating mind and sharp wit stayed with him to the end. He was a great raconteur and a much sought after dinner speaker in his day. A lover of antiques, gardening, travel the archetypal Renaissance man - his inquiring mind made him strive to be an expert in his many spheres of interest. He was proud of his family history and took great delight in the fact that a Eustace ancestor is immortalised in the Bayeux Tapestry. His demise marks not only his passing, but also the end of his generation. "Cousin Jos" will he sadly missed.