Geoffrey Lumb was a consultant urologist in Taunton, Somerset. He was born in Crewkerne, Somerset, on 1 January 1925, the son of Norman Lumb, a urologist in Portsmouth. He was educated at Marlborough and St Thomas's Hospital. After junior posts he did his National Service in the RAFVR, reaching the rank of Squadron Leader as an anaesthetist. On demobilisation he went to Bristol to work under Milnes Walker and John Mitchell, the latter kindling his interest in surgical diathermy, upon which he became an expert, writing many articles and a textbook in collaboration with Mitchell. After a sabbatical year in Boston and Richmond, Virginia, he was appointed as a consultant surgeon in Taunton in 1965. There he worked hard to set up an independent department of urology, achieving that aim in 1979. Taunton became the first district general hospital training department in the south west. Under his guidance research programmes flourished, and he set up a pioneer teaching programme using video endoscopy and laser surgery. He was also an enthusiastic proponent of transrectal ultrasound examination of the prostate. It was sadly ironic that he should die from the complications of cancer of the prostate. A talented and compassionate surgeon, he had a mischievous sense of humour. His many interests included model railway engineering, and he was an excellent craftsman, photographer, gardener, fisherman and golfer. He married Alison Duncan, a staff nurse at St Thomas's. They had a daughter, Christine (who became a theatre sister) and two sons, Hugh and Roger. He died on 25 April 2003.