Lawrence Brock ('Laurie') was born of missionary parents in 1923 at Honan, China. His first degree was in chemistry, and then after qualifying he did research in neurophysiology with Professor Sir John Eccles and subsequently in Cambridge. He then trained in surgery, but decided after lumbar disc problems to switch to radiology, working in Oxford from 1967 to 1972. As a consultant at Liverpool he was one of the first to introduce computerised reports. After retirement he took a BA at the Open University and wrote an MSc thesis on George Higgs, a Liverpool jeweller, and was hoping to embark on a PhD. His other interests included photography, local history and astronomy, while in his youth he had held a pilot's licence for gliders and small planes. He died on 10 September 1996 of head injuries following a fall at home, leaving a wife, Jill, a consultant radiotherapist, and three daughters, one of whom has qualified in medicine.