Jack H. Weinstein, 84, psychiatrist

Jack H. Weinstein, 84, formerly of Merion, a retired psychiatrist, died of a stroke April 11 at the Watermark at Logan Square in Philadelphia.

For more than 42 years, Dr. Weinstein treated patients at the Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital, a former facility for the mentally ill in West Philadelphia. He served on institute committees, supervised medical residents, and headed the physicians staff for several years.

A specialist in bipolar disorder, he was a pioneer in the use of medications to treat psychiatric disorders and lectured other physicians on the subject, his family said.

Dr. Weinstein was also at the forefront of the movement to treat addictions as illnesses. In the 1960s, he was on the staff of the Diagnostic Relocation Center, a drug- and alcohol-treatment facility at Fourth and Arch Streets.

After the institute closed in 1997, he maintained a psychiatric practice at his home in Merion until retiring in 1999.

A native of New York City, Dr. Weinstein served in the Army Medical Corps during World War II. He then earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and a medical degree from Thomas Jefferson University. He completed residencies in psychiatry at Temple University Hospital and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and was a fellow in neurology at Bellevue Hospital in New York.

During the Korean War, he was recalled to active duty and stationed at Valley Forge Army Hospital in Phoenixville.

From 1953 to 1954, Dr. Weinstein was clinical director of psychiatry at Philadelphia General Hospital.

He married Florence Biberman of Philadelphia in 1949. The couple attended every one of their children's and grandchildren's school and sporting events, and were world travelers and perpetual students of art, politics, and society, said a daughter, Jane Beckmann.

They were among 10 couples who established a discussion group that met monthly for more than 50 years through the 1990s, their daughter said. The group invited writers, ethicists, peace activists, liberals, and ultra-conservatives to speak and debate.

Dr. Weinstein enjoyed tennis, cooking, gardening, and classical music. He and his wife moved to the Watermark, where he helped care for her until she died of Alzheimer's disease in November.

In addition to his daughter, Dr. Weinstein is survived by a son, Steven; another daughter, Ellen Tallos; a brother; and five grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Watermark at Logan Square, 2 Franklintown Blvd.

Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 100 N. 17th St., Philadelphia 19103.