George Selvaratnam Sinnatamby was born on 10 April 1892, and was educated at St Thomas's College, Colombo, and the Ceylon Medical College, graduating LMS in 1916. As a student he won the Matthew gold medal and the Diploma medal. In 1920 he came to England for postgraduate studies at St Bartholomew's and University College Hospital, and took the Conjoint Diploma in 1921 and the FRCS in 1925. On his return to Ceylon in 1926 he was appointed surgeon to outpatients at the General Hospital, Colombo, and lecturer in anatomy and clinical surgery in the Ceylon Medical College. In due course he became consultant surgeon to the hospital and continued in that post till he retired in 1953. He specialized in proctology and continued in consultant practice for some years after finishing his hospital service. Sinnatamby had a considerable influence on professional students in Ceylon, being a member of the Ceylon branch of the British Medical Association for more than 50 years and its president in 1946. He was active in community welfare work, was Chairman of the Community Services Committee of the Rotary Club, and Honorary Treasurer of the National Council of the Deaf and Blind. All these undertakings were additional to the services he rendered to his hospital and university where his example was so valuable to the many young trainees who came under his influence. When he died after a short illness on 13 December 1970 he was survived by his widow and children, one of whom became a surgeon.