Nanalal Jivan Shah, usually addressed as John Shah, was born in the Seychelles on 25 April 1921, and after going to school there, subsequently came over to Guy's Hospital to study medicine and graduated MB, BS in 1945. He won the Hallett Prize at the Primary Fellowship, and completed the FRCS in 1949. He then served as a surgical specialist in the RAF, and afterwards went to the Postgraduate Medical School at Hammersmith to be trained in cardiothoracic surgery by W B Cleland. This experience, especially of open heart surgery, confirmed his wish to continue in this specialty, and in 1955 he went to Birmingham, first as registrar in thoracic surgery and later as senior registrar. He took a prominent part in establishing open heart surgery in the Birmingham area, particularly at the King Edward VII Memorial Chest Hospital, Warwick, where he was appointed consultant cardiothoracic surgeon. He also worked at the Dudley Road Hospital, and had the distinction in 1964 to be appointed consultant associate to the United Birmingham Hospitals in recognition of his outstanding contributions as an operator and also as a colleague and teacher. Early in 1964 he suffered a coronary attack, but in spite of this and a bad family history of heart disease he continued at his exacting duties till his sudden death on 23 May 1966. He left a widow and two children, having been a devoted husband and father pitifully snatched from them by an unduly early death.