Plarr’s Lives of the Fellows

John Martin Rice Edwards, known as Martin, was a consultant neurosurgeon. Martin was born on 25 February 1934 in Newport, Monmouthshire. His father, James Trevor Rice-Edwards, known as Trevor, was a general surgeon at The Royal Gwent Hospital and Cardiff Hospital. His mother, Anne Gower, was a dentist before she was married. Martin attended Charterhouse School from 1947 to 1952. He went on to study at Wadham College, Oxford from 1953 to 1960. He trained in Neurosurgery at the original Radcliffe Infirmary (now The John Radcliffe Hospital), in Oxford and The National Hospital, Queen Square and Maida Vale, obtaining his FRCS in 1965. He was appointed as a consultant neurosurgeon to the Central Middlesex Hospital, before the department moved to its current location at Charing Cross Hospital. Martin was trained and influenced by Valentine Logue, the first Professor of Neurosurgery in the United Kingdom. Professor Logue passed on his meticulous attitude to surgery, with a wide knowledge and technical mastery of the management of spinal dural Arteriovenous malformations (AVM) and thoracic disc protrusion. At the National Hospital, Martin was also taught by Lindsay Symon. Martin was adept at embracing new technology in an era of rapid advance spanning the introduction of the CT, direct puncture carotid angiography, spinal angiography and MRI. He was definitely a 'neurologist's neurosurgeon': thoughtful, and with a thorough knowledge of neurology, anatomy and physiology. He was an active supporter of the neuroscience department, an integrated service, where patients benefitted from multi-disciplinary input, well before the modern MDT was re-invented. In 1972, he spent 18 months at Loma Linda University in Southern California researching cerebral vasospasm. This was very helpful for his aneurysm surgery for which he was well known. In particular, he pioneered a short- lived technique of clipping basilar aneurysms under cardiopulmonary bypass. This has been superseded by coiling, but for a few years before coiling was used, it was the only hope for very difficult and hazardous aneurysms. It was a whole day procedure: patients were put on bypass, cooled, their heart stopped, then there was about an hour to work on the brain. Everything was then reversed. There were some spectacular successes, though also some failures, but the patients had no hope except by this technique. Martin was, at all times, meticulous. As a less literate registrar, one might be called to his office to explain the incorrect use of the semi-colon or split infinitive. In theatre, every procedure would be planned and thought out. Every stage of surgery was completed accurately and totally before proceeding. As a patient, you would be very safe in his hands. He was also known for his care, communication, and compassion. He had a robust attitude to complications, and that was to 'embrace them and deal with them'. He was not one to ignore a difficult problem. He continued, up to retirement, to be an advocate for his department, highlighting where investment was required to bring a service up to standard. He took over the renowned skull-base and acoustic neuroma practice at Charing Cross Hospital in 1995 following the retirement of Robin Illingworth. Very importantly, Martin was an outstanding colleague: totally supportive to a young newly appointed surgeon. He was instrumental in training many students and encouraging them in their careers. It is little known, but Martin campaigned vigorously for compulsory seat belt legislation in cars. His evidence for their mandatory use was based on the head injuries that he had treated. His work and testimony helped to make the case for the law that finally came into force in 1983, saving many thousands of lives. Outside the hospital, he had a wide hinterland of interests including art, opera, ballet, and architecture. He was known to operate listening to Wagner! He loved foreign travel and, after his retirement, he pursued his passion and became an excellent photographer. He made an extraordinarily in-depth photographic study of the origins of turbans in India and daily life in South-east Asia. He took part in several lecture tours in India and was awarded a visiting professorship for his help in training neurosurgery students at the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok. Martin was very much a family man. He and his wife Minette had three sons, Sam, Sebastian and Hallam, all of whom survive him. The garden parties at Ham House Stables were always memorable!