Tom Williams was chairman of the department of surgery at the University of Alberta, Canada. He was born in Rhewl, Wales, on 17 April 1925, and spent his childhood and youth in north Wales. He studied medicine in Liverpool, where he completed junior surgical posts, before going to Edmonton, Alberta,

David Bell was a surgeon at Belfast City Hospital. The son of William George Thompson Bell, a farmer and mill-owner from Cookstown, Northern Ireland, and Emma Jane Bell, he was born on 20 June 1920. A great uncle, cousin and brother were all doctors. From the Rainey Endowed School he went to Queen’s

Ron Rhind was a general surgeon with an interest in urology based in Hartlepool. He was born in Calcutta on 7 July 1943, where his father, James Albert Rhind, was a general surgeon. His mother was Dorothy Cornelia née Jones. From Sedbergh School Ron went to Leeds to study medicine and did house jobs

‘C J’ Sanderson was a gastro-enterologist on Merseyside. He was born in Blackpool on 2 December 1947. His father, Joseph Sanderson, was a schoolmaster. His mother was Patricia Mary née Caunt. From Blackpool Grammar School he went to Liverpool University Medical School, where he was county swimming c

Adosh Sen was a surgeon based in New Delhi, India. He was born in Dalhousie, India, on 27 June 1942. His father, Santosh Kumar Sen, a surgeon, and his mother, Sita Sen, a gynaecologist, had founded the celebrated Dr Sen’s Nursing Home, in New Delhi. He was educated at the Modern School, Barakhamba R

Balwant Shenolikar was born in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India, on 22 November 1923, where his father, Kashinath Shenolikar, was a lawyer. His mother was Indira née Garde. He was educated at the College of Science of the University of Nagpur, and Carmichael Medical College, Calcutta, where he won prize

Educated at Guy’s Hospital, where after qualification he held the posts of House Surgeon, Surgical Registrar, and Senior Demonstrator of Anatomy. He won University distinction, being University Medical Scholar and Medallist in Surgery in 1861. For three years, 1866-1869, he was Surgeon to the Metrop

Geoff Smiddy was a senior surgeon at Leeds General Infirmary and a prolific author. He was born in Kendal on 4 January 1922. His father was a hotelier and his mother looked after a haberdashery shop. His was not an easy childhood – his father left the family home shortly after he was born and his mo

Olga Jonasson was professor of surgery at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a pioneer in organ transplantation. Born in Peoria, Illinois, the daughter of a Swedish Lutheran pastor and a nurse, she was first attracted to medicine by following her father round on his hospital visits. After Lym

Educated at University College, London. He was Assistant Surgeon to the Dowlais Iron Works, Glamorganshire, and then practised for many years at Pewsey, Wilts, where he was Medical Officer to the Union District and Workhouse. After his retirement he resided at The Alders, 70 St Helen’s Road, Hasting

The son of Samuel Cartwright, FRS, dentist (1789-1864) (*Dict. Nat Biog.*). Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and at the London Hospital, and, following his father, became a pioneer in the improvement of the dental profession in London. He was appointed Surgeon to the Dental Hospital, Lecturer

The son of a schoolmaster, was born at Melbourne, Cambridgeshire, in 1824. He was apprenticed in 1841 to William Mann, of Royston, for three years. He then entered University College Hospital, and was House Surgeon to Robert Liston (qv); he worked also under John Eric Erichsen (qv) and Richard Quain