Following house jobs in Glasgow, Peter MacDonald Crawford proceeded to national service in the Royal Army Medical Corps, being stationed in Egypt. He then entered general practice in East Kilbride following periods of hospital training in Glasgow and a general practice assistantship in Forres, north east Scotland. In 1957 he left his then practice and started on his own, remaining in East Kilbride but with no patients on his list. By 1977 he had grown his practice to over 12 000 and had accrued a number of partners. In 1977 he gave up his town practice and medical politics, having been a member of the General Medical Services Committee of the BMA for many years. He moved to a single handed practice in Ballater, Royal Deeside, where he was later appointed as apothecary to the Queen in Scotland. On his retiral in 1981 he was made an LVO.
In both practice districts Peter devoted his life to his patients, being the epitome of the family doctor. As a person he was the perfect gentleman, “the best bastion of chivalry.” He was a keen sportsman and always a family man. Post-retiral he continued to devote himself to the life of the village, bringing many projects to fruition in Upper Deeside and serving on the community council. His illness towards the end of his life brought a great deal of sorrow to his family, his friends, and to the village as a whole. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Margaret, and their three children, Gordon, Sheila, and Jennifer.