Recollecting Oxford Medicine: Oral Histories

Derek Hockaday interviews Martin Vessey, Emeritus Professor of Public Health, 4 June 2014 Topics discussed include: (00:00:15) how MV came to Oxford; (00:01:36) John Honour; (00:03:46) choosing to focus on epidemiology and statistics, learning about statistics and computing post medical qualification and return to clinical house appointments; (00:07:28) meeting Richard Doll; (00:10:14) comparing Oxford and London computing facilities; (00.11:39) MD thesis, United States trip and return to Oxford, (00:14:39) work under direction of Richard Doll at Medical Research Council statistical research unit and effect on direction of career; (00:18:26) MRC and World Health Organisation; (00:19:49) fertilisation and contraceptive work; (00:23:42) studies relating to the etiology of cervical cancer; (00:26:58) research into menopause and investigation of hormone replacement; (00:31:22) differences in different generations of contraceptive pills; (00:36:34) social and community medicine in relation to epidemiology; (00:42:02) interactions with and teaching medical students; (00:48:57) attending medical and surgical grand rounds; (00:50:17) research, papers and breast cancer screening; (00:55:51) Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution; (00:58:50) Rosemary Rue; (01:02:04) travelling for conferences; (01:04:10) supervising DPhil students; (01:09:20) final thoughts on career; (01:11:53) women in epidemiology and medicine.

Derek Hockaday interviews Mike Dunnill, researcher, pathologist and former Director of Clinical Studies,10 February 2012. Topics discussed include: (00:00:10) first coming to Oxford from Bristol in 1956, Department of Pathology facilities; (00:04:00) becoming interested in medical education, George Pickering's committee for Medical School at Nottingham; (00:05:18) becoming Director of Clinical Studies in 1967; (00:06:15) report outlining changes to Honours schools coinciding with the Royal Commission on Medical Education,1969; (00:11:27) lunchtime post-mortem demonstrations; (00:15:21) the [Richard] Doll committee; (00:19:46) graduate assistants work in 1950s in Oxford; (00:21:10) staff on the Pathology course; (00:25:16) the Nuffield Committee; (00:26:38) increasing student numbers for clinical school; (00:28:10) George Pickering.

Derek Hockaday interviews Ann Taylor, researcher and physiologist, 20 January 2016. Topics discussed include: (00:01:25) family connection to Oxford, teenage years in Oxford High school for girls, entry into Somerville and old quota system; (00:02:57) being under the care of Dorothy Hodgkin in the medical school; (00:04:32) Janet Vaughn; (00:05:20) thoughts on schools year, practical work and courses; (00:11:00) working at the Pickering unit, comparing Witts and Pickering; (00:12:38) role post-research; (00:16:10) appointed first medical tutor and lecturer at St. Anne's college, work with H.B Parry in the Nuffield Institute; (00:21:15) work at Stanford, America, thoughts on American healthcare system, work under Roy Maffly on cell biology (effects of antimitotic drugs); (00:24:10) submitting research paper to the Congress of Nephrology, grant application having to be under Roy Maffly's name; (00:28:26) moving to Cornell University Medical School, department of physiology, and work on microtubules; (00:31:57) returning to Oxford, lectureship in physiology department joint appointment allocation with St Edmund Hall, tutoring and lecturing; (00:35:40) running the renal physiology course; (00:239:12) memories of colleagues in the department of physiology; (00:41:38) thoughts on Oxford Medical system; (00:45:25) family at time of clinical course, support with children; (00:48:03) being the first woman fellow at St Edmund Hall in 1980; (00:52:25) relationship between clinical and pre-clinical departments, surgeons; (00:56:51) ward sisters and nurses.

Derek Hockaday interviews David Tibbs, vascular surgeon, 7 February 2011. Mostly recalling the creation of the John Radcliffe Hospital. Topics discussed include: (00:00:05) coming to the Radcliffe Infirmary in 1960, division over the Radcliffe and idea of new site; (00:02:37) Medical Staff Council, (00:03:49) early planning team for the new site, 1963, with John Oddie and John Badenoch; (00:09:35) looking for architects for the John Radcliffe hospital; (00:13:08) the order of building; (00:15:25) travelling to Scandinavia with architects; (00:19:09) Rosemary Rue, John Oddie; (00:21:37) talking through the first meeting of the planning team, Sep 1963; (00:27:14) reasons for and against the new site; (00:29:53) main move to the John Radcliffe in 1980-1981, disappointments and positives; (00:38:50) building of phase 2 of the John Radcliffe, interior arrangements and medical and unit facilities; (00:47:10) surgical view of George Pickering; (00:51:45) Judith Hockaday at the John Radcliffe. Note the following sections of audio are redacted: 00:10:26-00:10:33; 00:11:08-00:11:21; 00:25:35-00:27:14; 00:34:36-00:38:16; 00:49:22-00:51:22; 00:52:58-00:55:24 and 01:01:10-01:01:36.

Peggy Frith interviews David Weatherall

Susan Burge interviews Terence Ryan, consultant dermatologist and emeritus professor of dermatology, 18 November 2020. Topics discussed include: (00:00:25) reasons for becoming a doctor, school days during Second World War; (00:03:10) coming to Oxford University; (00:04:20) entrance paper, first impressions of Oxford, Worcester College and medical school as a student; (00:07:05) clinical studies 1953, role as president of Osler House and Tingewick society pantomime; (00:08:47) house jobs, national service with Royal Army Medical Corps; (00:11:20) interest in dermatology; (00:13:21) dermatologist membership difficulties; (00:14:52) publishing papers early in career on blood vessels and growth of epidermis; (00:16:59) British Association for Dermatology; (00:18:03) vascular laboratory at St John's, London; returning to Oxford in 1971 as consultant; (00:20:11) Graham Weddell and leprosy patients and studies in Oxford; (00:23:04) links with the Radcliffe Infirmary, dermatology interaction with other medics and colleagues; (00:27:37) technicians in dermatology, the Slade Hospital and nurses, interest in the development of nurses in wound healing; (00:30:28) the importance of dermatology nursing, starting and developing the British Dermatology Nursing Group and International Skincare Nursing group, international work including Africa, Central America and China; (00:42:13) changes in Oxford hospitals through career, outpatient facilities at John Radcliffe compared to Radcliffe Infirmary and changes to dermatology department including surgery and facilities at the Slade Hospital; (00:47:19) colleagues in the department, support of Rosemary Rue; (00:49:30) relationships with infectious diseases department; (00:52:20) watercolour paintings, interest in Japanese paintings and buying and making décor for Oxford hospitals; (00:57:18) being contacted to organise St John's Ambulance presence at Winston Churchill's funeral; (01:00:54) continuation of international travel after retirement. Note the following section of audio is redacted: 00:17:08-00:17:14.

Derek Hockaday interviews Michael Gillmer, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, 27 February 2014. Topics discussed include: (00:00:10) coming to Oxford, Alec Turnbull; (00:01:53) initial impressions of Oxford, contrast between Oxford and St Marys, London; the John Radcliffe site and changes from original Radcliffe site; (00:06:54) John Stallworthy; (00:09:14 ) Chris Redman and Geoffrey Robinson; (00:12:30) first ultrasound scanner at the John Radcliffe; (00:14:59) workload in first five years of Oxford, split between research programme and clinical workload; (00:17:10) diabetes research; (00:20:38) teaching, Oxford medical students compared to St Marys medical students; (00:24:19) district and regional work and antenatal clinics; (00:27:55) national committees, changing nature of training for gynaecological medical examination; (00:32:03) chairman roles; (00:34:33) change in European Union and Home Office regulations on trainees from abroad, Carmen training course, obstetric specialists; (00:40:36) Alec Turnbull, chairman roles in the university and the hospital; (00:45:15) views of expansion of management in the health service; (00:49:25) Oxford nursing compared to London; (00:50:19) maternal deaths register; (00:54:39) changes in obstetric medicine over career; (01:08:20) previous Nuffield Professors of Obstetrics Gynaecology including Alec Turnbull and the Alec Turnbull family planning clinic; (01:13:14) balancing being a clinician and researcher; (01:14:18) switch from academic post to NHS consultant and discussing final paper; (01:18:50) final thoughts, comparing past with recent present including practical experience offered to medical students. Note the following sections of audio are redacted: 01:15:31-01:16:20 and 01:17:34-01:17:38.

Derek Hockaday interviews David Warrell, honorary consultant physician and Emeritus Professor of Tropical Medicine, 24 March 2014. Topics discussed include: (00:00:13) admissions procedure to Oxford Medical School; (00:03:00) thoughts on first two years of BM and Christ Church college; (00:04:58) Peter Matthews as tutor; (00:06:45) learning anatomy; (00:10:11) academic interests; (00:11:08) clinical training at St Thomas' Hospital; (00:16:16) the London hospital circuit, returning to Oxford and initial role as consultant physician with responsibility for admissions; (00:26:05) role in South East Asia, 1978; (00:30:23) reasons for being drawn to Thailand; (00:34:33) time in Thailand, relationship with Thailand doctors and research trails and publications; (00:43:47) role of wife, Mary Warrell, in Thailand; (00:49:46) visit to China with Nick White; (00:52:14) research after first paper (dexamethasone,1982); (00:57:23) snake bite work; (01:02:11) reasons for return to Oxford after Thailand, becoming Professor of Tropical Medicine and expansion of the Centre for Tropical Medicine; (01:09:04) comparing Oxford to London Hammersmith, on-take ward rounds; (01:14:30) effect of AIDS on the infectious diseases world; (01:19:54) Wellcome trust backing and support; (01:23:26) inception of snake bite work; (01:25:30) Oxford Textbook of Medicine, Athsma clinic in Nigeria; (01:32:06) disappointments; (01:36:10) Path and Bac course; (01:38:51) changes in NHS, administrators and protocols. Note the following sections of audio are redacted: 00:13:45-00:14:30 and 01:00:09-01:02:10.

Derek Hockaday interviews Robert Twycross, physician and pioneer of palliative care and medicine, 7 August 2018. Topics discussed include: (00:00:14) idea to come to Oxford to study medicine; (00:01:13) the admissions process to Oxford Medical School, by St Peters college; (00:04:10) Path and Bac courses after schools, schools work and lecturers; (00:06:15) clinical training; (00:09:48) house jobs with firms in Oxford; (00:14:12) support from ward sisters and other staff during houseman days; 00:16:09 applying for senior house officer jobs, Lancaster; (00:18:11) deciding to go into holistic and palliative care; (00:24:00) St Christopher's as research fellow 1971; (00:26:10) terminal care across hospitals in 1960s-1970s, teaching of Cicely Saunders; growth of communication skills in terminal care; (00:30:31) doctorate research at St Christopher's on use of diamorphine in cancer pain; (00:40:53) Sobell house, Oxford 1976; (00:54:30) patient referrals to Sobell House and domiciliary visits; (01:00:50) increase of beds for Sobell House, conversion of unit to a mini Day Centre; (01:02:58) funding for Sobell House, National Society for Cancer Relief; (01:07:31) teaching clinical students; (01:11:28) deciding between university academic post or NHS consultant later in career; (01:15:05) changes once beginning university readership 1988; (01:19:56) importance of nurses; (01:22:42) laboratory and radiology support; (01:24:00) international teaching and teaching in conjunction with the World Health Organisation; (01:27:57) interaction with anaesthetists; (01:30:10) setting up the Association of Palliative Medicine for the UK and Ireland, experiencing burnout; (01:35:42) writing and publishing books. Note the following sections of audio is redacted: 00:50:24-00:50:30.

Derek Hockaday interviews Joe Smith, consultant urologist, 18 November 2013. Topics discussed include: (00:00:17) coming to Oxford, the adoption of pure urology across the country; (00:06:30) start of appointment in Oxford, 7 July 1966, other surgeon colleagues; (00:13:30) establishing urology as a separate subject; (00:14:34) the Churchill Hospital and Radcliffe Infirmary, junior surgeon duties; (00:18:45) Oxford standards compared to other places including University College Hospital, London and United States; (00:21:30) Boder Von Galtz; (00:22:40) micturating cystogram and spinning top urethra; (00:26:12) lecturing medical instruments sales staff about urology; (00:26:55) quality of nursing at Oxford and medical students; (00:29:01) operating theatres and Towler theatres; (00:31:53) Frank Ellis; (00:34:19) national meetings; (00:37:18) giving up general surgery; (00:41:16) interaction with various professors and giving up research sessions; (00:46:54) involvement in first transplantation of kidney; (00:49:08) president of various committees/unions; (00:51:00) development of the Oxford Medical School, 1966; (00:53:44) early childhood in Lancaster, choosing London over Manchester to train and post-qualification. Note the following sections of audio are redacted: 00:08:07-00:08:30; 00:11:26-00:11:34; 00:36:29-00:36:41; 00:43:54-00:44:05; 00:44:43-00:45:40 and 00:48:19-00:48:31.