Desmond Kyran Mulvany was born in Portsmouth on 8 July 1907, the son of Dr John Mulvany, a general practitioner and an alderman of the City of Portsmouth, and his wife Eileen. His early education was at St John's College, Southsea, and St George's College, Weybridge, before entering King's College Hospital Medical School. After qualifying in 1930 he did house appointments at King's College Hospital coming under the influence of Sir Cecil Wakeley who encouraged him to pursue a career in surgery. He became demonstrator in anatomy at King's College and was able to take the MRCPI in anatomy in 1932. He then obtained a junior resident post at the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth in St John's Wood and was later registrar to the Hospital and also surgical registrar at King's College Hospital before being appointed consultant surgeon to St John and St Elizabeth. He also worked as consultant to the Wilson Hospital, Mitcham, and as assistant in the urological department of the Middlesex Hospital. He published many articles on surgical subjects and built up a large practice. He had a special interest in medical ethics, serving as secretary and later master of the Westminster branch of the Guild of Catholic Doctors. His services to his Church were recognised by the award of the papal honours of Knight Commander of the Order of St Gregory and Knight of Malta. He never married and died on 11 March 1985 aged 77. He was survived by his sister, a retired general practitioner and by a brother, a gynaecologist in the United States.