Born on 28 January 1900 in Manchester son of Dr F C Scotson a well known general practitioner, he was educated at Manchester Grammar School and Manchester University, and for his clinical training St Bartholomew's Hospital where he was awarded the Bradley Surgical Scholarship and the graduate prize in medicine. He qualified in 1922 taking both London and Manchester final examinations, the latter with honours. In 1924 he passed the Final Fellowship examination but had to wait until 1925 to be admitted a Fellow. He held a succession of resident appointments at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, finishing as resident surgical officer. He then visited the Mayo Clinic and other American surgical centres before setting up in consultant practice in 1929 and soon after, in 1930, was appointed to the staffs of the Crumpsall Hospital, the Manchester Northern Hospital and the Manchester Victoria Memorial Jewish Hospital. The establishment of St Joseph's Nursing Home was largely due to his efforts. At Manchester University he was a lecturer and examiner in surgery. President of the surgical section of the Manchester Medical Society, he was past president of the Middleton and N Manchester Medical Society and of the Manchester Pathological Society. During the war of 1939-45 he served as a Major in the RAMC. A general surgeon, his particular interest was in urology and gastroenterology. In his young days he was a swimmer of note representing his university and, in later life, skiing in the winter and golf or tennis in the summer were his principal relaxation. He married twice: first while resident surgical officer at the Royal Infirmary, defying regulation to the contrary, Annie M Bradbury who died in 1940 leaving two sons and a daughter; and secondly in 1942 Leila M B O'Connell who survived him with their son. He died in Manchester after nine months' illness on 23 March 1955.