Born on 9 July 1869 at Ballycogley Castle, Co Wexford, the second son of Richard Cherry Sikes, of Cork, and Susannah Lecky Jacob, his wife; he was educated privately. He received his medical training at St Thomas's Hospital, where he won an entrance scholarship and the Tite and Peacock scholarships.

Born 3 November 1871 at 8 Bonner's Lane, Bethnal Green, the second child of Edwin Josiah Toye, chemist, and Jane Buggel, his wife. He entered St Bartholomew's Hospital in 1890, where he had a brilliant career. He won the junior and the senior scholarships, and was ophthalmic house surgeon under Henr

Harold Wilson Bruce was born in 1876 and trained at Guy's Hospital, where he qualified MB BS in 1897. He proceeded MD in 1899 and passed the FRCS in 1901. After holding a house appointment at Guy's he served in the Boer War and then went to India to join the team fighting plague in Bombay. On his re