David James Mearns Anderson
Consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Barnsley 1996-8 (b Aberdeen 1956; q Aberdeen 1980; FRCSG, MRCOG), d 8 July 1998. He felt strongly that as his specialty was surgical appropriate experience in the wider aspects of intra-abdominal surgery, particularly urology, was necessary, and spent his early training in quite a few varied posts in Liverpool and Sheffield, followed by a general registrar rotation in Sheffield. At a research post in Aberdeen he developed a belief in evidence based practice, which led eventually to an MD. After this he spent four years as a consultant in North Carolina, having become disillusioned with what he saw as a less than meritocratic British medical system. At Barnsley he developed a one step outpatient service for postmenopausal bleeding, reducing the waiting lists by their active management, and was involved in teaching. He was a bon vivant, who loved entertaining, and had an encyclopaedic knowledge of rhythm and blues. Latterly he was admitted as a member of the Society of Friends, a great solace to him. He leaves a wife, Melly, and a daughter.
John Malcolm Barnes
Consultant orthopaedic surgeon Ysbyty Gwynedd Bangor, 1980-96 (b 1943 to a father who was a professor of orthopaedic surgery; q Middlesex 1967; FRCS), died from carcinoma of the thyroid on Christmas Day 1997. Before taking up his consultant post he spent some time working in South Africa. A deft and decisive surgeon, he specialised in elbow replacement. Though bemused by the machinations of medical politics, he retained a strong sense of fair play. He was a keen sportsman, as spectator and participant, and mountaineer, climbing locally as well as in the Alps and the Karakorams. During his short retirement he took pride in his showpiece garden. His first marriage was dissolved and he leaves a second wife, Margaret, and two sons (one a surgeon) of his first marriage.
by W O Roberts
Deb Kumar Bose
General practitioner Wolverhampton 1966-96 (b 1933; q Calcutta 1958; FRCGP) died after a long illness from myelomatosis on 29 July 1998. An evacuee from Burma during the second world war he moved to Britain after qualifying. He was active in medical politics locally and was secretary of the local medical committee 1972-89 and chairman 1989-96. He soon became involved centrally, becoming a member of the General Medical Services Committee in 1980 and later of the BMA council. He became BMA fellow in 1983. He sat on other national committees, including the Medical Practices Committee and the Standing Medical Advisory Committee. He remained loyal to his old medical school and helped to form an association, which has just celebrated its 21st reunion. Deb was an active Rotarian and was awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship for his services to the movement. He leaves a wife, Marilyn, and a daughter and a son (both junior doctors) from his first marriage.
by Arup Chaudhuri
William (“Bill”) Kerr Noble Brown
General practitioner Glasgow 1947-80 (b Glasgow 1912; q Glasgow 1938; FRCGP), d 7 June 1998. Bill held hospital appointments in Glasgow and served in the Royal Army Medical Corps during the second world war. He was a founder member and fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners; being honorary secretary of the west of Scotland faculty, 1967-76, and provost, 1977-9. He had a strong sense of what was right and wrong, what he called “being true unto oneself.” If he had any fault it was to belittle his own contribution. He leaves a wife, Mary, and two sons (both general practitioners).
by Craig K Brown
Bidhan Chandra Chatterjee
General practitioner Coventry (b Calcutta 1932; q Calcutta 1960; FRCGP), died from oesophageal carcinoma on 1 July 1998. He became disillusioned with medical ethics while doing postgraduate training in the United States, and passing through Britain on his way home he found he enjoyed the “fresh air of the NHS” and decided to stay. He was the first Indian GP in Coventry, became a trainer, and was chairman of the Coventry Division of the BMA and of the Overseas Doctors Association. He worked for the St John Ambulance Association from 1965 to 1998, becoming a serving brother in 1981. Proud of his Indian heritage he cofounded and supported a cancer centre and welfare home in Calcutta. He leaves a wife and two daughters.
by L R Payne
Marion Angela Crawford
Former general practitioner Uddingston, Lanarkshire (b Uddingston 1914; q Glasgow 1938) d Uddingston 5 April 1998. After training in midwifery in Dublin and house jobs in Glasgow Dr Angela joined her father in his practice, continuing after he retired in 1948 until she retired in 1982. The practice was in the family home, which was open at all times to patients, staff, colleagues, and waifs and strays—human and animal. The warm kitchen was haven for anyone in trouble. She cared for several generations of families. Although shy and self conscious of her diminutive stature, it never deterred her from upholding all that was right. She formed a good relationship of respect and trust with the local police. Dr Angela never married.
by E O Lundholm
Margaret Anne Dickinson
Former general practitioner Blackpool (b 1928; q Manchester 1952; MRCOG), died from the sequelae of bowel cancer on 8 March 1998. She turned down a place at Oxford and although she decided to become a GP she looked back with pleasure to her house posts in obstetrics and gynaecology. After she married a surgeon, Kenneth Dickinson, she lived her medical life under her maiden name, Wignall. In Blackpool she treated some of the earliest patients with HIV and she was always concerned about unmarried pregnant girls, knitting an item of clothing for each of the babies. She and her husband bought a dilapidated farm in the northern Dales and created a place of beauty and tranquillity, farming sheep, llamas, and angora goats. She had a profound Christian faith and was teaching in a church children’s club until a few days before her death. She leaves a husband and six children (one a haematologist).
by David Slater and Kenneth Dickinson
Sir John Rogers Ellis
Former consultant physician The London (b Birmingham 1916; q Cambridge/The London 1941; MD, FRCP; MBE), d 16 June 1998. He served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, receiving the MBE for saving survivors from a bombed hospital ship under air attack in the Mediterranean. His own ship, HMS Carlisle, was sunk soon afterwards. He returned to The London as a lecturer and the close bonds he formed with his students reflected the personal teaching he had received there. The 1944 Goodenough report had recommended a liberal undergraduate medical education followed by internship for all and postgraduate training for aspiring specialists. Ellis was dispatched to north America, Scandinavia, and all the British schools to study the present practice. He reported back to the Royal College of Physicians, which in 1957 persuaded the General Medical Council to allow schools to instruct less, educate more, and experiment with their courses. Ellis became the first secretary of the Association for the Study of Medical Education and was instrumental in establishing the present pattern of postgraduate training in Britain. He was a member of the Royal Commission on Medical Education and drafted its findings, the 1968 Todd report. During the 1960s Ellis advised on setting up medical schools in Newfoundland, Addis Ababa, and Kuala Lumpur before being appointed dean of the London Hospital Medical College in 1968, a post he held until he retired in 1981. As a clinician he practised an holistic approach, and he was an outstanding speaker and a gifted painter and gardener. He leaves a wife, Joan, and four children (one a doctor).
by Christopher Ellis
David Idris Harries
Former consultant radiologist Bromsgrove (b Swansea 1916; q Cardiff; DMRD, FRCPC), died from heart failure on 26 June 1998. He spent the second world war in hospital with tuberculosis. After house jobs in Cardiff he became a consultant in 1951 and then emigrated to Canada in 1969, becoming chief of radiology at the Brandon General Hospital in Manitoba. He leaves a wife, Gillian; two daughters and a son; and nine grandchildren.
by Gillian Harries
James Henderson Levack
Former consultant surgeon Southern General Hospital, Glasgow (b Leuchars, Fife 1910; q Glasgow 1935; FRCSG; TD), died from cardiac failure on 15 July 1998. After house jobs he served in the Royal Army Medical Corps during the second world war and was involved in the Dunkirk evacuation and the Walcheren landings. Back in Glasgow, initially he was a general surgeon, tackling all manner of problems, including orthopaedics, and almost perpetually on call. Urology became his specialty and he was a willing hand and teacher to generations of surgeons. He had a cottage at Morven which was ideal for fishing and birdwatching. After retirement he was involved with the PLAB examination and the local Probus and ornithology clubs. He leaves a wife, Joyce, four children, and nine grandchildren.
by by Ian Drever
John Sumner Stead
Consultant psychiatrist Mid-Sussex group of hospitals 1959-83 (b London 1918; q Guy’s 1942; MD (gold medal), FRCPsych), died of cerebral anoxia after a cardiac arrhythmia on 2 June 1998. He served on north Atlantic convoys and in the Far East before training in general medicine, cardiology, and chest disease and then entering psychiatry at the Maudsley Hospital. In Sussex his caseload was eclectic with a particular interest in psychosomatic disorders and the psychodynamic component of his work. John perceived early the management revolution that was to come as well as the necessity for ongoing education and adequate accreditation. His chairmanship of the Joint Psychiatry Advisory Committee produced some consensus over the future service, while as clinical tutor, examiner, and regional adviser for the Royal College of Psychiatry he developed a system of appraisal of junior staff that was ahead of its time. Never happier than enthusing over an arcane skill with an expert, he restored a 1920s fishing boat, built children’s wheelbarrows and furniture, and had neared completion of a 1/12 replica of his home and developed a nature reserve in an adjoining field. He leaves a wife, Evelyn; two sons (both doctors) and a daughter; and six grandchildren.
by Matthew Stead
David Stephen Peck
Medical director Hallam Clinic, Sheffield 1985-98 (b Kent 1954; q Sheffield 1977 (prize medal as best student); MRCP, MRCGP), d 28 June 1998. He worked in general medicine and dermatology in Sheffield, Nottingham, and Leicester, returning to Sheffield to establish the Hallam Clinic, and developing the use of lasers in the treatment of skin disorders and cosmetic surgery. He had been a keen Queen’s Scout; was a talented actor and producer in amateur dramatics; and had great artistic flair. He will be remembered for his colourful murals in doctors’ messes and for his design for Trent Health Authority’s logo. Many buildings benefited from his outstanding restorative talents, and he took particular pleasure in helping refurbish buildings for student accommodation. He was a keen competitive swimmer and mountain biker, and charitable fund raiser through his sponsored half marathons. He leaves a wife, Sally, and his parents.
by Roger Nunn