Born at Colchester, Essex, 30 June 1844, the only child of William Cant, seedgrower, and Elizabeth Cross, his wife. He was educated at the Royal Grammar School, Colchester, and afterwards entered St George's Hospital, where he acted as house surgeon. For some years he took house surgeoncies at the Royal Westminster Ophthalmic Hospital, at the Seamen's Hospital, Greenwich, and at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children. From 1878 to 1885 he was surgeon in charge of the government lock hospitals and was assistant surgeon at the Central London Ophthalmic Hospital. He was, too, tutor in the medical school at Bristol. In March 1888 he went to Jerusalem under the auspices of the Order of St John of Jerusalem to take charge of their ophthalmic hospital, which at that time was the only hospital in Palestine devoted to the treatment of eye disease. Here he soon made a name for himself. In the early days many patients - nervous, wild, and free - escaped from the hospital and only returned months later in a worse state than when they had first been admitted. The skill and patience of Dr Cant, ably assisted by his wife, caused the Arabs in time to bring their children as well as their elders. The growth of the work led to the appointment of an English assistant ophthalmic surgeon and later still of English nurses in addition to the devoted native assistants who had been properly trained. Dr Cant resigned his position and returned to England in December 1911. As a reward for his services he was made a Knight of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, and was later decorated MBE. He died on 17 August 1936 at the Mill House, Lexden, Colchester, survived by his widow, nee Mary Hill, but without children. He was at the time of his death the senior FRCS. Mrs Cant died on 5 December 1936.