Dudley Owen Hancock was born in North London on 18 May 1927 and after early education at Haileybury entered the Middlesex Hospital Medical School, qualifying in 1952. After early house appointments at Chase Farm Hospital, Enfield and Bristol General Hospital he was appointed orthopaedic house surgeon at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, and prosector in the anatomy department of the Royal College of Surgeons. After acquiring the primary Fellowship he was senior house officer in surgery at Manchester Royal Infirmary and passed the final Fellowship in 1958. He decided to pursue a career in neurosurgery and after a period as senior registrar in the department of neurosurgery at Frenchay Hospital, Bristol was appointed consultant neurosurgeon at Morriston Hospital, Swansea, from 1965 to 1968, later becoming consultant in spinal injuries at Stoke Mandeville Hospital from 1968 to 1973. He was then appointed consultant in rehabilitation to Aylesbury Vale Health Authority, the first appointment to this post, until ill-health necessitated premature retirement in 1987. He had a special interest in the problems of the rheumatoid neck and in providing rehabilitation services for the young disabled. After retiring from practice he went to live in Cornwall where he was able to pursue his hobby of gardening. He died on 9 April 1990 aged 62 and is survived by his wife Jane, and two children, one of whom is a doctor and the other a speech therapist.