Joseph Murray had an illustrious career as a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, but his unique achievement was to perform the first successful kidney transplant, on identical twins, in 1954, for which he was awarded a Nobel prize in physiology or medicine in 1990. He was born in Milford, Massach

Air Vice-Marshal George Henry Morley was born at Portsmouth on 22 February 1907. He went to the Middlesex Hospital Medical School where he qualified with the Conjoint Diploma in 1929. After house appointments he joined the RAF medical service in 1934 and took the FRCS the following year. In 1940

Born at Dunedin, New Zealand, on 17 June 1882, he came of a distinguished family. His father Robert Gillies was a land agent and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives, and his mother was Emily Street from Birtley, near Guildford. Edward Lear, the artist and nonsense-verse write, was h

Bernard McCarthy was educated at Melbourne University, gaining a BSc there in 1948, qualifying MB BS in 1950 and received the Melbourne MS in 1955. After early appointments at St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, and as a demonstrator in anatomy and clinical surgery at Melbourne University, he came to

Born at Christchurch, New Zealand on 20 February 1911, son of a sheep farmer and meat exporter, he was educated at Christ College, New Zealand and came to Edinburgh for his medical training, which was continued in London after he had won a scholarship to Guy's Hospital. He was a notable heavy-weight

Emlyn Lewis was born in America on 10 April 1910; his mother brought him at an early age to Wales and he was educated at Monmouth. He later entered St Mary's Hospital and qualified from there in 1929. After obtaining his Fellowship he held appointments of surgical registrar at King's College Hosp

Alfred Jones (Jim) Evans was born in Llanelli, Wales, on 13 August 1916. His father, Owen Garnon, was a meat purveyor and his mother Cicely Frances, née Evans, was a schoolmistress. He was educated at Christ College, Brecon, and St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, qualifying MRCS, LRCP in 1941. He serve

Mendel Gordon was born on 31 May 1902. He went to school in Bournemouth before training at King's College, London and Charing Cross Medical School, where he qualified with the Conjoint Diploma in 1929 and was awarded the Governor's gold medal in medicine and surgery. After house surgeon appointments

After graduating at Manchester and resident appointments there, Rowland Osborne became resident surgical officer at the Park Hospital, Davyhulme. In 1940 he was appointed superintendent of Whiston Hospital, Prescot, a mixed civilian and military establishment where he developed an interest in plasti

Born on 4 May 1900, son of John Mclndoe and Mabel Hill of Dunedin NZ, he was educated at Otago High School and the medical school of Otago University, where he was a medallist in medicine and surgery. After qualifying he was appointed house surgeon at Waikato Hospital, and in 1924 was awarded a Foun

Sorab Jal Mehta was born in 1929 and had his medical undergraduate education at the Grant Medical College, obtaining the MB BS degree from the University of Bombay in 1953. After holding junior appointments at home he came to England in 1955 and did his surgical training at the Birmingham Accident H

Lena McEwan was the first woman to specialize in plastic surgery in Australia, and did so with much distinction. She was born on 11 August 1927 in South Australia. Her parents were recent immigrants from Glasgow, and when Lena and her mother conversed in demotic Glaswegian, they became totally incom