John Gerald Callanan was born in Ennis, County Clare, on 21 June 1920, the son of John Callanan, a British Government Official, and his wife, Margaret. He spent his early years in England, returning for schooling to Mount Mellory where he attended the veterinary college for a while before transferri

Henry Barrett was born on 7 November 1903 in Timaru, New Zealand, the son of Henry, a farmer, and his wife Annie, née Campbell. One of his mother's uncles had the distinction of being physician to the Czar of Russia. He received his education at Hamilton High School where he distinguished himself

Charles James Officer Brown was born in Melbourne on 24 September 1897, the third child of David Brown and Jamima (née Officer) whose grandfather, Sir Robert Officer, had emigrated as a ship's surgeon to Van Diemen's Land. He attended the Scotch College in Melbourne and proceeded to the Melbourne Un

Born of Quaker parents in Queen Square, London, W.C., on February 15th, 1849, the second son of Rickman Godlee, a barrister of the Inner Temple who had married Mary Lister, the only sister of Joseph, Lord Lister. Marcus Beck (q.v.), therefore, was a cousin, and Lord Lister his uncle. Godlee was b

Henry Pierre was born in Trinidad in 1904 and received his early education at Queen's Royal College and his subsequent medical training at St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical School, where he qualified MB BS in 1931. The following year he returned to Trinidad and joined the medical service there. In 1

Donald Barlow was born on 4 July 1905 in Leytonstone, son of Leonard Barlow, an electrical engineer, and Katherine Monteagle. His eldest brother Leonard was killed at the age of 18 after winning the MC with two bars in the Royal Flying Corps; the second became FRS and a professor at University Colle

Franz Konrad Saddler Hirschfeld was born on 26 April 1904 in Brisbane, son of Dr Eugen Hirschfeld, a graduate of Strasbourg University, who emigrated to Australia in 1890, to become the first honorary bacteriologist to the Royal Brisbane Hospital and later honorary physician. Konrad was educated at

Muriel Cornish Waterfall, one of four daughters of William Duncan Waterfall, (née Cornish) a teacher, was born in Muswell Hill, London on 23 December 1920. She was educated at Tollington Preparatory School, Muswell Hill, and at St George's School, Harpenden, Herts, where she won a number of prizes.

Frank Nicholson was a senior surgeon at Manchester Royal Infirmary. He was born in Cheshire on 6 September 1909, the son of Charles James Nicholson, a cotton merchant. Educated at St Bee's School, Cumbria, he had a distinguished academic record before proceeding to St Catherine's College, Cambridge,

Noel Adeney, known as 'Jeff', was born in Cairo on 26 November 1897. His father, Frederick Field Adeney, was a priest, his mother was Rosalie, neé Savage. He was educated at Monkton Combe School and then St John's College, Cambridge, on an open classical scholarship. He served in the first world war

Thomas Ackland was a general surgeon in Melbourne who introduced mammography into Australia. He was born in Melbourne on 8 September 1908, the son of William Ackland, an engineer, and Blanche Glana née Rye, the daughter of a veterinary surgeon. He was educated at Spring Road State School and then wo

David Coston Sabiston was a distinguished American surgeon. As chairman of the department of surgery at Duke University School of Medicine, North Carolina, he was, reputedly, one of the greatest surgeons who ever lived. In 1962, he grafted a vein from a patient's leg to feed blood past a blocked cor