Jacques Turcot came from a Canadian family with a long medical tradition. He was Associate Professor of Surgery at Laval University, where he had trained at the medical school. He gained a great reputation for his work as a skilful general surgeon at L'Hôtel-Dieu de Quebec, especially for his long-term studies of peptic ulceration. He was a popular teacher and a tireless worker for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and for strengthening its ties with sister colleges in Great Britain, Australasia and North America. He was a past president of many other bodies. During his term as President of the Canadian Royal College he was admitted to the Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. The citation was given by Norman Tanner, who referred, after describing Dr Turcot's distinguished career, to the active part that he had played in linking the cultural heritages of France and England to produce the modern Canada. He died, aged sixty-two, on 9 April 1977, leaving his wife Therese, three sons, one a doctor, three daughters, one also a doctor, and three grandchildren.