David Dunn was a former consultant surgeon at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge. He was born on 12 February 1939. His father was British and his mother came from Iceland. He was one of four children, and received his early education at the Forest School, London. He went on to St John's College, Cambridge, to study natural sciences and medicine, where he rowed for the Lady Margaret Boat Club and was a member of the Goldie boat. He did his clinical training at St Bartholomew's Hospital. After an appointment as house surgeon at Bart's, he returned to Cambridge as a demonstrator in the department of anatomy, combining this with supervising students from St John's and Trinity Colleges. Before starting surgical training, he served as a medical officer to the British East Greenland Expedition in 1966, followed by two years as registrar at St Albans under Sir Reginald Murley. He then returned to Cambridge as senior registrar and was appointed consultant and assistant director of research at Addenbrooke's Hospital in 1974. There, with Sir Roy Calne, he was involved with research into the mechanisms of rejection of organ grafts and immunosuppressive drugs. At first he worked mainly in vascular, gastrointestinal and neonatal surgery, but then saw the potential of endoscopic surgery, then in its infancy. This was to become his principal interest for the remainder of his professional life. His knowledge and skill with laparoscopic surgery was recognised by his colleagues who elected him President of the Association of Endoscopic Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland. He also had considerable computer skills, and devised a system for the management of clinical information and data which for a time had commercial possibilities. He led the comparative audit unit at the College. David had a formidable reputation as a teacher. He was director of medical studies at St John's College for several years and produced, with Nigel Rawlinson, a new surgical textbook for students, *Surgical diagnosis and management: a guide to general surgical care* (Oxford, Blackwell Scientific, 1985). He travelled widely in his own right and as a member of the Moynihan Chirurgical Club, of which he was President from 1994 to 1995. A talented painter, he would produce at the end of each trip a portfolio of sketches of club members and their wives, which he would reproduce and sell for charity. He had several exhibitions of his water-colours. He had wide outdoor interests: he enjoyed fast cars, held a flying licence and flew Tiger Moths with the Cambridge Flying Club, and continued to coach the Cambridge blue boat. As treasurer of the University Boat Club, he used his computer skills to plan the weight distribution of members of the crew and the tactical plans for the race. He was a tall good-looking man with a most attractive manner and a ready smile. His wife Anne, whom he married in 1969, came from Denmark: they had three daughters and two sons, who were also successful oarsmen. One became a doctor. At the height of his surgical career, when he was 53, David developed myeloma. At first there was a full response to treatment, but the disease relapsed and he died on 19 August 1998.