Huib van Dis only lost his wild hair later in life.
Huib van Dis left an impression on many people. His appearance hardly went unnoticed by passers-by, let alone psychology students at the University of Amsterdam. With his sturdy body, gray, curly hair – which he trimmed himself – and remarkable bow tie, Van Dis was a man who was difficult to ignore.
There was a reason for that bow tie, he liked to say. His daughter Jana was once in hospital as a little girl and because his tie dangled in the toilet bowl while she was being nursed, he switched to a bow tie.
Sex and drugs
That eccentric piece of clothing may have suited him better. The fact that Van Dis, as a product of the 60s, would one day wear a tie at all was a crazy idea in the hippie era. Because the born Amsterdammer – his parental home is in the Jekerstraat in the Rivierenbuurt – immersed himself in the magical spirit of the times with great pleasure.
This is how he explored his own mind with LSD. Van Dis had a friend make observations while he himself was under the influence, and vice versa. Furthermore, he had little regard for civility; he had no fixed home address for a long time and was difficult to trace for government agencies (‘I have a fear of letters’). He also enjoyed sexual freedom. He fathered five children by three women and was not always the father his young offspring desired.
Experiment with male pill
Van Dis’s private interests were often reflected in his scientific work. For example, his cousin, who was three years his junior, writer Adriaan van Dis, told an anecdote during the funeral about a pill Huib was working on; a contraceptive pill for men. Adriaan himself took part in the experiment, where he had to achieve an orgasm with his own hands, covered with electrodes on his head and chest. The product never made it to the finish line.
Van Dis studied medicine, psychology and later also epidemiology. Although his mother in particular wanted him to become a professor, that never happened. Van Dis did not receive his PhD. At the funeral, former colleague Bob Bermond – who did have a PhD – recalled that Van Dis, as an employee of the Netherlands Brain Institute, had been tricked by a fellow student, who allegedly made off with his ideas.
Arousal in castrated rats
Van Dis was affiliated with the University of Amsterdam from 1960, where he focused on neuropsychology. While Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis was still in its heyday, Van Dis turned his attention to the biological determinants of behavior, which is more common today. For example, Van Dis examined sexual arousal in castrated rats through brain stimulation at the Brain Institute.
Van Dis was also affiliated with the OLVG. There he helped set up the department of medical psychology, a field of study about the connection between physical and mental problems. Consider the influence of an HIV infection on the development of dementia, as became apparent during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. Or psychological side effects of medication.
Referendum
During his extensive career, Van Dis was also chairman of the cultural center De Melkweg, near Leidseplein, for many years. He also made a foray into municipal politics. As a resident of an apartment on the Bloemgracht, he organized a referendum in 2001 to prevent the city center from being independently governed through its own sub-council. He mobilized 110,000 votes against; 22,000 too little to stop the decision.
Van Dis was boundless in his interest and zest for work. At the funeral, Bermond talked about the pharmacology textbook that Van Dis had placed in his car. The reference book was located next to the accelerator pedal. If the traffic light was red, he could quickly see it, he said.
His own brain never stood still. Van Dis closely followed current events and was bursting with ideas about his field. Partly through various management positions at professional organizations, he influenced an entire generation of (neuro)psychologists. He also guided many students with great interest, with whom he enjoyed meeting in cafés. Until the end of his life, Van Dis occupied himself with his field of expertise at the Medical History Meeting Point in Urk.
Calmer waters
As he advanced, his personal life entered calmer waters. He got into a steady relationship just before he was sixty and became more of a family man for his children. He was also the proud grandfather of eight grandchildren.
Even in his eighties, Van Dis continued to share his original view of the world with friends, acquaintances and strangers. He died on December 22 in his bedroom, surrounded by the books and publications he loved.
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2024-01-02 15:14:46
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