Defective: the story of Dr Theodore Gray

“Oh Mummy save me from Dr Gray, because teacher says he’s coming today, and if I’m stupid he’ll take me away”. William Ray looks at the life and legacy of Dr Theodore Gray, a staunch eugenicists who was head of New Zealand's Mental Hospitals Department for 20 years.

Further reading:

• Statement of Hilary Stace to the Royal Commission on Abuse in Care
• A Brief History of Disability in Aotearoa by Dr Hilary Stace
• DBNZ Biography of Dr Theodore Gray by Dr Warwick Brunton
• The Fertility of the Unfit by Dr William Chapple
• Mental Defectives Amendment Act 1928
• Statement of Tony Ryder to the Royal Commission on Abuse in Care

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details