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1. Obituaries
Mary Margaret Anderson
Former consultant obstetrician and
gynaecologist Lewisham University Hospital,
London (b 1932; q Edinburgh 1956; FRCOG,
CBE), died from complications of Parkinson’s
disease on 17 February 2006.
Mary was the first woman to be senior regis-
trar in obstetrics and gynaecology at St
Mary’s Hospital. She chaired many commit-
tees for her hospital, the regional health
authority, the Department of Health, and the
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynae-
cologists. She was on the council of the
Medical Defence Union and the scientific
committee of the National Birthday Trust.
She was vice president of the royal college in
1989 and made CBE in 1996. [Alasdair
Fraser, Anne Rodway]
Edward (“Terry”) Burgess
Former general practitioner and occupational
physician London (b 1924; q St Bartholomew’s
Hospital, London, 1955; MD, MRCGP, AFOM),
died from bowel cancer on 20 December 2005.
Terry trained as an accountant but changed
to medicine after National Service in India
as a captain in the Royal Army Medical
Corps. After 12 years as a general practi-
tioner he moved to occupational health with
the Department of Health and Social
Security and then as medical officer for the
Inland Revenue and Commonwealth War
Graves Commission. Terry followed his
father into the Playing Card Makers’ city liv-
ery company. He leaves a wife, Mollie; three
children; and five grandchildren. [John
Burgess]
Isabel Young Gibson
(née Gebbie)
Former senior clinical medical officer and family
planning specialist North Hampshire (b 1923;
q Glasgow 1945), died from ischaemic heart
disease secondary to myocardial fibrosis on
4 February 2006.
After residency jobs in Glasgow, Isabel
became one of an earlier “lost tribe” of senior
house officers displaced by practitioners
returning from war service. Having con-
tracted tuberculosis, she returned to work
several years later as a community physician
in Sheffield and later Hampshire until she
was 71. She was a past president of the Medi-
cal Women’s Federation in Hampshire. She
leaves a husband, Alastair; three children; and
six grandchildren. [J N A Gibson]
Keith Halnan
Former director Hammersmith Hospital, London
(b 1920; q Cambridge/University College
Hospital, London, 1950; MD, FRCP, FRCR),
died from metastatic cancer on 6 February
2006.
Keith Halnan commanded an Infantry
Brigade Signals Unit at the Battle of Kohima
and during the liberation of Burma and was
mentioned in dispatches. He worked at the
Christie Hospital in Manchester, 1958-66.
He was director at Glasgow during 1966-78,
founding the Beatson Cancer Centre.
During 1978-85 Keith was director at Ham-
mersmith Hospital. His last professional
post was chairman of the Hong Kong Work-
ing Party on Post Graduate Medicine and
Education. He leaves a wife, Margaret; three
daughters; and five grandchildren. [Clare
Vernon]
Vincent William Joseph (“Bill”)
Hetreed
Former tuberculosis specialist Nigeria, and
major Royal Army Medical Corps (b 1916;
q St Mary’s Hospital, London, 1939; MRCGP),
died from peripheral and cerebral vascular
disease on 26 December 2005.
Bill joined the Royal Army Medical Corps
and in 1941 sailed to Singapore. Captured
by the Japanese, he continued his medical
practice in camps of the Burma-Siam
railway. On his return he was employed by
the Colonial Service as medical officer in
Nigeria. He developed the Federal Tubercu-
losis Service, became the senior specialist in
1956, and was awarded the Sir Robert
Phillip Medal in 1962. In 1976 he was medi-
cal officer for major industrial construction
projects in Africa. He leaves a wife, Joan; four
children; and six grandchildren. [Michael
Hetreed]
Robert Kingston Knight
Former consultant physician Guy’s Hospital,
London (b 1932; q Guy’s Hospital 1955),
d 31 December 2005.
Bob Knight was the last of the great general
physicians of Guy’s Hospital. He had a
special interest in respiratory diseases and
oncology. He was also an authority on John
Keats. Bob became consultant physician at
Guy’s Hospital in 1967, retiring in 1997. In
Longer versions of these obituaries are
available on bmj.com
917
BMJ VOLUME 332 15 APRIL 2006 bmj.com

2. retirement he pursued his long-standing
interest in life assurance medicine. As a
Winnie the Pooh enthusiast he also investi-
gated why repeat transient ischaemic attacks
seem to have similar characteristics to Pooh
sticks, the results being published in the
2004 Christmas edition of the BMJ (BMJ
2004;329:1432). He leaves a wife, Marion;
two sons; and a grandson. [Robert
Rubens]
Norman Dallas MacRorie
Former general practitioner Brighton (b 1931;
q Glasgow 1955), died from motor neurone
disease on 16 January 2006.
After an early postgraduate interest in
neuropsychiatry and to avoid call-up for
national service Norman MacRorie emi-
grated to the United States. He worked for
more than 10 years as a staff psychiatrist in
New York City. Disillusioned by the “anti-
psychiatry” movement, he retrained in
general practice in Sussex and worked
singlehanded until his 70th birthday. Three
months later he developed foot drop,
eventually diagnosed as motor neurone dis-
ease. He converted his surgery premises into
a disabled flat and died in bed in his former
consulting room. He leaves a wife, four chil-
dren, and four grandchildren. [Roderick
MacRorie]
Pauline O’Neill (née Ripley)
Former consultant microbiologist Lewisham
Hospital (b 1926; q Oxford/St Thomas’
Hospital Medical School 1952; DM), died from
primary peritoneal cancer on 6 March 2006.
Pauline moved with her husband, Breffni
O’Neill, to Bermuda, where she set up a clini-
cal laboratory service for Bermuda Medical
Associates. In 1962 she completed her
training in medical microbiology at St
Thomas’ Hospital. In 1974 she was appointed
consultant microbiologist at Joyce Green
Hospital, Dartford, and then Lewisham Hos-
pital, where she spent the rest of her medical
career. She was director of pathology for
around five years and retired in 1989. She
leaves a partner, her four sons, and eight
grandchildren. [Ian Phillips]
Gustav (“Gus”) Siegmund Plaut
Former general practitioner Tooting, London
(b 1921; q Cambridge/The London Hospital
1947; FRCS, FRCGP, TD), d 17 January 2006.
Gustav Siegmund Plaut (“Gus”) came with
his family to Hull from Hamburg with the
rise of Nazism. He served as a senior surgical
specialist in the Army Emergency Reserve
and pursued a career as a surgeon. Despite
his excellent qualifications and experience,
Gus’s German-Jewish background made it
difficult to find jobs. He decided to become a
general practitioner and managed to secure
a position in Tooting, where he worked
between 1960 and 1986. He was also active
in the Territorial Army and in many
charities. He was predeceased by his wife,
Ivy, in 1999. [William Carver]
Alan Pollock
Former general surgeon Scarborough (b 1921;
q Cape Town 1943), died from motor neurone
disease on 19 January 2006.
Alan Pollock’s achievements illustrate how a
questioning and determined district general
hospital surgeon can integrate world class
research within everyday NHS practice. He
conducted a remarkable series of ran-
domised trials to identify ways of reducing
postoperative morbidity. These studies
evaluated different antibiotics and antibiotic
regimens for reducing postoperative infec-
tions, contributing importantly to the reali-
sation that prophylaxis must be started
preoperatively. Other trials evaluated the
impact of preoperative bowel preparation,
anaesthetic techniques, surgical incisions,
approaches to achieving haemostasis, differ-
ent suture materials and techniques, and
wound drains. Postoperatively, he assessed
the effects of calf muscle stimulation and
pneumatic compression on deep vein
thrombosis. [Iain Chalmers]
Eleanor Beatrice Schill (Mrs
Sykes)
Former consultant psychiatrist Withington
Hospital, Manchester (b 1904; q Manchester
1927; MBE, DPM), d 26 December 2005.
Eleanor inspired many with her philan-
thropic and social work throughout her long
life, being awarded the MBE for her efforts in
1995. The constant theme of raising money
for specific causes was central to her life. She
was one of the earliest female doctors to train
at Manchester University and a founder
member of the Marriage Guidance Council
in 1946, later becoming vice chairman until
1970. She was consultant psychiatrist at With-
ington Hospital and a member of the parole
board for Styal women’s prison, among other
medical roles. She leaves five children, 10
grandchildren, and 10 great grandchildren.
[Martin Sykes]
Stuart Fotheringham Wood
Academic general practitioner Glasgow (b 1950;
q Glasgow 1973; MD, FRCGP), d 1 March
2006.
Stuart Wood worked in the same city
general practice for 30 years. In 1979 he
joined a small team of academic general
practitioners at Glasgow University. His MD
in 1984 was the first obtained by a Glasgow
general practitioner in modern times. He
published over 50 scientific papers, begin-
ning with his doctorate on allergic rhinitis.
Later he was co-investigator on a series of
internationally recognised community-
based asthma trials, including the largest
clinical trial without industry funding in the
west of Scotland. He pioneered the new
undergraduate medical curriculum at Glas-
gow University, and oversaw more than
7000 placements for medical students.
[Graham Watt, Jill Morrison]
Obituaries
918 BMJ VOLUME 332 15 APRIL 2006 bmj.com