Born at Chester on September 9th, 1842, one of the four sons of Dr Thomas Davies (d.1892), Physician to the Chester General Infirmary, who afterwards took the name of Colley. Educated at King's College School, London, when Dr Major was Head Master. He was admitted a pensioner at Trinity College, Cambridge, as John Neville Colley Davies in 1860 and became a Scholar of the College in 1863. He graduated BA in 1864, being bracketed Forty-first Wrangler and appearing top of the second class in the Classical Tripos. He subsequently became a Fellow of Trinity College and was later a Fellow of St Catharine's College. During his undergraduate career he proved himself so good an oarsman as to have been the reserve man in the University crew. Davies-Colley entered Guy's Hospital in 1884, where he attracted favourable notice, both as a student and athlete, and was appointed Surgical Registrar and Tutor in June, 1868. He then became Lecturer on Experimental Philosophy and Demonstrator of Anatomy at Guy's Hospital, and in 1872 was appointed Assistant Surgeon, at which date Thomas Bryant (qv), Senior Assistant Surgeon, succeeded Edward Cock (qv) as Surgeon. In 1880, upon the resignation of Cooper Forster (qv), Davies-Colley became full Surgeon. He lectured upon anatomy during several sessions, and then for many years gave half the course on surgery. He was also Visiting Surgeon, and at the time of his death Consulting Surgeon, to the Seamen's Hospital, Greenwich, and was Examiner in Anatomy on the Conjoint Board of the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons (1888-1892); Examiner in Anatomy for the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (1887-1888); Examiner in Anatomy to the University of Cambridge; and a Member of the Court of Examiners (1892-1900). He also examined in surgery at the University of Cambridge. His career as a hospital surgeon and teacher was one of great success, and as an examiner he was conspicuously popular with those students who knew their subjects, for he was quiet, clear, and scrupulously courteous. As a teacher he was extremely lucid and painstaking, his somewhat deliberate methods of imparting instruction being particularly appreciated by his pupils. His slow and cadenced method of speaking was adopted as a remedy for a defect of speech: he had an obstinate proclivity to stammer, but by taking thought over his manner of elocution he overcame the infirmity early in his career. He held in turn the appointments in the Medical School of Guy's Hospital of Demonstrator of Anatomy, Demonstrator of Practical Surgery, Lecturer on Anatomy, and Lecturer on Surgery. As a surgeon he held a very high place in the opinion of all his confreres. He was bold in scheme and careful in procedure, while his great industry and fine memory allowed him to carry about with him the results of his experience to be produced in a moment exactly when and where it was wanted. He trod in the footsteps of Henry Howse (qv), who introduced Listerism into the surgical routine at Guy's Hospital. He subsequently followed the latest trend of aseptic surgery, and, well informed in all that was then known, undertook the biggest operations up to the last. His work at the Royal College of Surgeons was notable. He was elected to the Council in July, 1896, and both there and at the examination table was conspicuous by his abilities. One of his last acts at the College was the unveiling in the theatre of the Lister portrait by W W Ouless. In November, 1899, Davies-Colley first became aware that he was suffering from cancer of the liver, but to others he gave no sign of his knowledge. He continued imperturbably at his work, and with failing strength completed the first half of the winter session at Guy's Hospital. He married the daughter of Thomas Turner, for many years Treasurer of Guy's Hospital, and sister of Dr F Charlewood Turner, Physician to the London Hospital. Two of his sons became Fellows of the College, Robert Davies-Colley, CMG, becoming Surgeon to Guy's Hospital, whilst his daughter, Miss Eleanor Davies-Colley, had the unique distinction of becoming the first Woman Fellow of the College. He practised at 36 Harley Street. He died at his country house, Borough, Pulborough, Sussex, on May 6th, 1900, and was buried in the churchyard, Pulborough. He was survived by his widow and children. His portrait (of early date) is in the Council Album, and a good one accompanies his biography in the *British Medical Journal*. In *Guy's Hospital Gazette* (1900, June 9) there is a fine portrait, which some do not, however, regard as a good likeness. A Davies-Colley Memorial, for which subscriptions were invited at a meeting of the staff of the Medical School of Guy's Hospital, took the form of a collection of books now in a special case in the Guy's Hospital Library. Some £380 were subscribed towards this object. Publications: Davies-Colley put his name to no separate work, but up to the time of his death was still employed upon an important book on surgery, which from its practical nature might have become a classic if published. "Carbuncle," "Gonorrhoeal Rheumatism," "Injuries and Diseases of the Neck, Throat, and Oesophagus," and "Malignant Pustule" in Heath's *Dictionary of Surgery*. Articles on "Muscles" in Morris's *Treatise of Anatomy*. "A Case of Resection of the Tarsal Bones for Congenital Talipes Equino-varus." - *Med.- Chir. Trans.*, 1877, lx, 11. In this article he recommends the procedure for cases where ordinary methods had been unsuccessfully employed or were likely to fail in a severe case. "On Malignant Pustule." In this article he advocated the excision of the whole of the inflamed area, or, at any rate, of the indurated skin, with the subsequent use of iodoform, perchloride of mercury, or a strong solution of nitric acid. The full title of this article is "Notes of Two Cases of Malignant Pustule, together with a Table of Seventeen Cases treated at Guy's Hospital: with a Report on the Microscopical Examination of Sections of Skin affected with Malignant Pustule, removed during life by F Charlewood Turner," 8vo, 3 coloured plates, London, 1882; reprinted from *Med.-Chir. Trans.*, 1882, lxv, 237. "A New Operation for the Cure of Cleft of the Hard and Soft Palate, with an Account of Six Cases so treated." - *Ibid.*, 1894, lxxvii, 237. All these papers are highly practical and good examples of the sound common-sense principles of surgery which he always taught. He sent numerous reports of cases to the *Guy's Hosp. Reps.*, of which journal he edited many volumes in conjunction first with Dr Frederick Taylor and then with Dr Hale White. His reports of cases and articles are in most of the volumes from 1870 onwards and cover a wide range of subjects. He contributed also a number of reports of cases to the *Trans. Clin. Soc.*, *Trans. Pathol. Soc.*, the *Lancet*, and other medical journals.