Hugh Joseph Taggart was born on 9 April 1893 and studied medicine at the University of Belfast where he obtained the BA in 1914 and qualified with the MB BCh BAO degree with honours in 1919. He decided to specialize in ophthalmology and so took the DOMS in 1921 and the FRCS in 1926. Taggart became surgeon to the Western Ophthalmic Hospital, and ophthalmic surgeon to the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth, and to the Chelsea Hospital Group. He was particularly interested in squints and ptosis; and in addition to being a competent ophthalmologist, the warmth of his personality distinguished him among his contemporaries, and was an inspira¬tion to his juniors, and deeply appreciated by his patients. His hobby was collecting musical boxes. After retiring from hospital work he lived with his wife Frances, who was also a doctor and interested in child-welfare work, at Boolham in Sussex and he died there on 12 October 1969 at the age of 76. His wife survived him.