John Davis was a consultant general surgeon at the Whittington Hospital, London. From Cambridge he went to St Thomas’ Hospital for his clinical training and house appointments. After qualifying he served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve for two and a half years in a minesweeping squadron. After the Navy he returned to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, to specialise in surgery, being in due course registrar and senior registrar. He was a research fellow in surgery at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, Boston, and on his return was appointed consultant general surgeon at the Whittington Hospital, London, in 1958. He published, among other things, a study on the prognosis of Crohn’s disease. He retired in 1985. He was briefly married in 1945, but had no children. He had been good at cricket and fives, and enjoyed golf. An extremely private person, he could be good company as a visitor, but seldom if ever invited anyone to his home. He died on 31 August 2006 after fracturing his hip.