Sula Wolff

Sula Wolff (1924) is considered one of the founders of child psychiatry in Britain.

Born in Germany, she and her family had to flee when the Nazi party took power. She could not speak English at the time but within a year had mastered the language and later gained admission to Oxford University medical school. She graduated in 1947.

She moved to the Maudsley Hospital to undergo psychiatric training where she developed an interest in the psychological problems of children. Around this time she met and married Henry Walton,a South African psychiatrist who had done pioneering reaearch on personality disorders and medical education. They married and moved to Edinburgh, where Henry was subsequently appointed to a chair. It was here she wrote the classic Children under Stress. Along with Michael Rutter, she is regarded as one of the founders of British child psychiatry. She and her husband remained in the Edinburgh department until their retirement.