Born at Leeds on 27 January 1872, the third son and sixth child of Charles Henry Taylor, an iron-founder, he was educated at the Leeds Boys' Modern School and at the Yorkshire College, which afterwards became the Victoria University, graduating BA in 1891, and afterwards entering the medical department of the College. He served as house surgeon at the Leeds General Infirmary and then decided to specialize in obstetrics and gynaecology. He was appointed house surgeon and clinical assistant at the Leeds Hospital for Women and Children, and in 1899 matriculated at the University of Berlin. During the South African war in 1900 he acted as a civil surgeon, and received the medal with three clasps. In 1902 on his return to England he filled the post of pathologist at the Chelsea Hospital for Women, and was afterwards obstetric registrar and tutor at the Middlesex Hospital. In 1906 he became gynaecologist to the North-West London and Hampstead General Hospital, to the St Marylebone General Hospital, and to the Eastern Dispensary. Ill-health obliged him to relinquish his gynaecological practice in 1912, and he then confined himself to teaching and research in bacteriology and pathology. He was elected lecturer on bacteriology at King's College, London in 1907, and he was also for some years pathologist to the Royal Westminster Ophthalmic Hospital. During the war he was pathologist to the Lewisham War Hospital, and at the time of his death he was in charge of the vaccine laboratory at the Royal Herbert Hospital, Woolwich. He married Phoebe Stansfield on 12 September 1905, who survived him but without children; He died suddenly on 1 July 1930. Mrs Taylor died on 13 May 1947. Frank Taylor was an excellent teacher and a writer who combined literary ability with originality. He wrote numerous papers, gynaecological at first, and later on such pathological subjects as the Arneth blood-count, vaccines, the absorption test, mycological tests for sugars, Vincent's angina, fusospirillary peridental gingivitis, the diplococcus liquefaciens of Petit, and many other subjects. He was for many years director of the Review of current literature in the *Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology* of the British Empire, and was an examiner of the Central Midwives Board. Publications: Adeno-cystoma ovarii sarcomatodes. *J Obstet Gynaec Brit Emp* 1906, 9, 268. Typhoid infection of ovarian cysts. *Ibid* 1907, 12, 367. Necrobiotic fibroids and pregnancy. *Practitioner*, 1906, 76, 804. Physical action of placenta, with W E Dixon. *Proc Roy Soc Med* 1907, 1, obstet p 11.