Norbert Leo Maxwell Reader was born at Marshfield, Gloucestershire, on 13 October 1885. His father, Jeremiah Reader, was a doctor of medicine. He was educated at Wakefield Grammar School, Stonyhurst and at Leeds University, where he won the anatomy prize. He went from there to Guy's Hospital where he was taught by Arbuthnot Lane, qualifying in 1910. During the first world war active service in Mesopotamia and Gallipoli was followed by a period as surgical specialist in India. In 1919 he returned with the rank of Major RAMC to take charge of the Northumberland War Hospital. He took his surgical fellowship in 1920 and the mastership in surgery the following year. On discharge from the RAMC he went into general practice at Bromley with surgical attachment to the local hospital until 1925, when he spent two years in Switzerland because of ill health. He was able to take up the appointment of surgeon at Barry Hospital in 1927. There he did an enormous amount of surgery till 1938, when he went to Wimbledon to join a general practice and take up the appointment of surgeon at the Nelson Hospital. Capable and conscientious in his surgery, and with this background of experience, 'Nobby' Reader was a splendid example of a GP surgeon. He was Chairman of the Wimbledon Medical Society. After his retirement from hospital in 1952 he continued in general practice until failing eyesight forced him to retire two years before he died. He is remembered by his patients as a much-loved personal physician. He married Mabel Harmer in 1925. They had a son who qualified in medicine and did general practice, and a daughter who was secretary to Sir Cecil Wakeley and Sir Harry Platt at the Royal College of Surgeons. He died on 2 December 1975, aged 90 years.