Michael George Allen was born in Cairo on 9 October 1915, the son of Arthur Baylis Allen. After early education at Merchant Taylors' School he entered St Thomas's Hospital Medical School, qualifying in 1940. His early house appointments were at St Thomas's Hospital. During the second world war he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps, serving at the Military Hospital, Woolwich. After demobilisation he pursued a career in orthopaedics working initially at the Rowley Bristow Orthopaedic Hospital at Pyrford and also as clinical assistant in orthopaedics at St Thomas's Hospital. In 1953 he was appointed assistant orthopaedic surgeon at Kingston Hospital where he took a special interest in the development of anterior spinal fusion. In 1973 he was upgraded to consultant and in the following year passed the FRCS. He was a devout Catholic and travelled to Lourdes with the Handicapped Children's Pilgrimage Trust. His services to the Roman Catholic church were recognised by the award "Pro pontifice et ecclesia" in 1980 by the Pope. After retiring from practice in 1980 he devoted himself to his other pursuits of painting, calligraphy and poetry. He died on 15 October 1989 and is survived by his wife Aileen, a son, Paul, and two daughters Helen and Veronica, a further son and daughter having tragically predeceased him in fatal accidents.