Plarr’s Lives of the Fellows

Ian Robin was a distinguished London ear, nose and throat consultant. He was born at Woodford Green, Essex, on 22 May 1909, the son of Arthur Robin, a Scottish general practitioner, and Elizabeth Parker née Arnold, his American mother. He was educated at Merchiston Castle School, in Edinburgh, and a

David James Llewellyn Murphy was a consultant ENT surgeon in Leicester. He gained a BSc in Cardiff in 1942, and then went on to University College Hospital Medical School in London, where he qualified MB BS in 1950. He gained his FRCS in 1954. Prior to his consultant appointment he was a surgical r

Brian Hardcastle was an ENT surgeon in private practice in Gainesville, Florida. He was born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, on 14 March 1925, the only son of Francis Beaumont Hardcastle, a pharmacist, and his wife, Florence May née Boothroyd, a builder’s daughter. He was educated at Paddock Elementary

Howard Michael Parsons was an ENT surgeon in Lewisham and then Croydon. He was born in Paddington, London, on 14 April 1918, during a Zeppelin raid, the third child of John Parsons, a master builder, and his wife Maude Parsons née Percival. He was educated at St Andrews Prep School, Eastbourne and t

Meher Derek Wells was a consultant ENT surgeon in Canterbury and Thanet, and a research fellow at the Institute of Laryngology and Otology, London. She was born Meher Mehta in Hyderabad, India, in 1937. She studied medicine at Osmania Medical College and qualified MB BS in 1960. After going to the

Thomas James Wilmot was a consultant ENT surgeon in Tyrone and Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. He was born in 1920. His father was a general practitioner in Louth, Lincolnshire, but was originally from County Kerry. His mother was from Inverness. Wilmot was educated in Norfolk and at Epsom College, and

Sivathanu Subramania Pillai was an ENT surgeon in Sunderland. He was born in Nagercoil, India, on 30 November 1925 to Sivathanu Pillai and Marthandalakshmi née Muthukaruppan. He was educated at St Francis Primary School and the Scott Christian College in Nagercoil. Deciding to follow a career in med

Francis Douglas Martinson was professor of otorhinolaryngology at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He was born on 15 October 1916 in Kumasi, Ghana. He studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh, qualifying in 1942. He was a house physician and resident anaesthetist at Leith Hospital, Edinbur

Peter Milling was senior surgeon at the Royal Ear Hospital, Huntley Street, then part of University College, London, and a hidden treasure of ENT wisdom. He was born in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad on 1 April 1916, the elder son of Frederick William Milling, a Yorkshireman, who, after gaining a degree in

Betsy Brown was a consultant ENT surgeon at Bradford Royal Infirmary. She was born on 15 February 1923 in Glasgow, the second daughter of Robert and Isabella Brown. Her father was a master builder, her mother a legal secretary until she married. Together with her sister and brother, Betsy attended H

James Bryden Blacklay was a consultant ENT surgeon to the South East Kent Health District from 1957 until his retirement in 1981. He worked at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Folkestone, with sessions at the Buckland Hospital, Dover, the William Harvey Hospital at Willesborough, Ashford, and the Victor

Bill Doey was a consultant ear, nose and throat surgeon at the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital in London. He was born in Bessbrook, county Armagh, Northern Ireland, on 22 February 1912, the son of Rev Thomas Doey, a Presbyterian minister. His mother was Charlotte Chesney née McCay, the