Joseph Block ('Joe') was born on 12 August 1921 in Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, South Africa. Both his parents had emigrated from Switzerland and were graduates of Zurich University; his father became a lawyer and his mother a professor of languages. He was educated at President Brand School, Grey College and the University of Cape Town, graduating in medicine in 1943. His training hospital posts were in Durban and he served as captain in the South African Medical Corps from 1944 to 1946. To specialise, he came to England in 1949, taking the Fellowship in the same year. He worked at several hospitals, including the Crumpsall in Manchester and the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, at the latter working under Professor Norman Dott. On completion of his training in neurosurgery in 1954 he returned to South Africa, and was appointed neurosurgeon to Johannesburg General Hospital and Baragwanath Hospital, Soweto. The latter's renown in treatment of neurological trauma owes much to his pioneer work. For political reasons he returned to Britain in 1961, working first at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast. In 1963 he moved to the Dundee Royal Infirmary, where he established the neurological service. He was an ideal choice: a strong inspirational leader and a natural manager, the easy rapport he had with both patients and staff determined the success of the unit. His publications, such as *Stab wounds of the spinal cord* (1962) reflected his experience in the management of trauma. Poor health necessitated early retirement but he retained his interest in sport, particularly bowls; he was a founder member of the Montieth Probus Club and a keen bridge player. He died on 2 January 1995, survived by his wife Sheelah, née Woods,whom he married in 1961, and their two daughters, Rose, an anaesthetist and Jennifer, a lawyer.