Douglas was born on 25 May 1893, was educated at Bristol University, and the Middlesex and London Hospitals. In 1913 he graduated BSc with first class honours after research in biochemistry. When war broke out in 1914, he joined the Worcester Regiment, and gave up his work as a medical student to se

Apollo Cokkinis was born at Odessa, Russia, of Greek parents, on 31 October 1895; his father John Cokkinis, was an operatic tenor and impresario. During his early life Cokkinis travelled widely with his father, and received his early education at the Canadian College in Smyrna. After college he deci

Leslie Norman Reece was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 1 February, 1880. He was the fourth son of William Reece, a pioneer and importer. He attended Nelson College in New Zealand and then came to England to study medicine at St Thomas's. There he became house surgeon and resident assistant su

Francis Younghusband (1938) summarised this life as follows: 'Somervell is no mean mountaineer: he is one of five who have reached the 28,000 feet level. He is no mean painter: his picture of Everest adorns the walls of the Royal Geographical Society's House. He is no mean musician: he has transcrib

Rodney Maingot often used to speak of his parrot which resided in his consulting rooms. He claimed it had been trained to say 'You've got gallstones - send for Rodney' to those who entered. Showman? Perhaps, according to some. Master class abdominal surgeon? Certainly, according to the innumerable s

Norbert Leo Maxwell Reader was born at Marshfield, Gloucestershire, on 13 October 1885. His father, Jeremiah Reader, was a doctor of medicine. He was educated at Wakefield Grammar School, Stonyhurst and at Leeds University, where he won the anatomy prize. He went from there to Guy's Hospital where h

Muriel Landau was born on 21 January 1895 and educated at Dame Alice Owens School, Islington where she gained an entrance scholarship to the London School of Medicine for Women. She qualified in 1918 and after house appointments at the Royal Free and at Queen Charlotte's Hospitals was appointed regi

Kenneth Holl Macmillan was born on February 3 1891 in Lee, S.E. London, the eldest son of John W McMillan, a banker, and his wife, Florence. His younger brother became a chest physician. Always an individualist he, alone of his family, decided to change the spelling of his name from that on his dipl

John Whittingdale, the son of Dr John Flasby Lawrance Whittingdale, MB Cambridge, MRCS, and of Marie Whittingdale (née Jennings), was born on 14 June 1894 in Sherborne, Dorset. He was to spend most of his long life in that place. After education at Sherborne Preparatory School and Sherborne School,