John Anderson came from a well-known St Andrews golfing family. His grandfather, Jamie, won the Open Championship three times, 1877-78-79 and he was noted for his precision and flair. Anderson was educated at Madras College, St Andrews, Strathallan School, Perthshire, and St Andrews University where he graduated MB ChB in 1952, proceeding ChM in 1972 and MD in 1975. He obtained the Fellowships of the English and Edinburgh Colleges of Surgeons in 1959. After resident posts at Dundee Royal Infirmary he served in the RAF attaining the rank of Acting Squadron Leader and assisting Air Commodore G H Morley, specialist in plastic surgery. He was appointed senior registrar to Professor Ian Aird in 1960 and spent a year at Harvard Medical School doing original research. He became consultant surgeon in the professorial unit at Glasgow Royal Infirmary in 1966. His major research interests were tissue transplantation, immunology and chemotherapy and he published twenty six papers and two books. He became convener and secretary of the Royal Infirmary Surgical Club and contributed greatly to its continued success. He was well bred, and whimsical, avoiding ostentation and finding contentment with his family and his close friends. He married Susan Evans Atkinson in 1962 and they had two daughters, Lucy and Harriet. He died suddenly at home on 31 January 1982.