Dr James Douglas Whitby

Personal Details

Dr James Douglas Whitby MB BChir FFARCS MRCS LRCP DA 

02/10/1920 - 06/07/2005

Place of birth: London, England 

Nationality: British

CRN: 521907

Known as: Douglas

 

General education	Stowe School, Buckinghamshire: 1934-38 Trinity College, University of Cambridge: 1938-40 Medical School at London hospital: 1940-43
Primary medical qualification(s)	MRCS England, LRCP London, 1943 MB BChir, University of Cambridge, 1947
Initial Fellowship and type	FFARCS by Election
Year of Fellowship	1953
Other qualification(s)	DA (RCP&S), 1949 MA, University of Cambridge, 1950

 

Professional life and career

Postgraduate career

After qualifying Whitby was a house surgeon at Essex County Hospital (ECH) in Colchester until October 1943. Next he worked as a ship surgeon on the Clan Line until July 1946. He then returned to ECH as a surgical registrar, before moving to be a resident anaesthetist at Ipswich Borough General Hospital. From October 1947 to March 1950 he was Anaesthetic Registrar at West Middlesex Hospital. Next he took a post of anaesthetic registrar at Winchester until being appointed Senior Registrar at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle on Tyne in August 1950. Finally he was appointed Consultant Anaesthetist at Newcastle General Hospital, and he was also appointed as an Honorary Lecturer in Newcastle University. He retired in 1983.   

Professional interests and activities

He was a member of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain & Ireland. His main clinical interest was in neurosurgical anaesthesia. He published over 25 papers, mainly on neurosurgical anaesthesia, temperature monitoring and the history of anaesthesia and resuscitation. He also wrote the chapters on anaesthesia in two textbooks: “Spinal Dysraphism” (1972) and “Subarachnoid Haemorrhage”(1986). 

Other biographical information

He married Una Molly Ruddock (nurse) in 1945 and they had two sons. His leisure interests included rugby, ship modelling, photography, saiing, painting, cartoons and golf. On retirement he moved to Kettering, Northamptonshire where he died at the age of 84, survived by his family. 

Author and Sources

Author

Alistair McKenzie

 

Sources and Comments For material which does not fit other categories

[1] Dr Whitby’s self submitted biographical “Boulton form” dated 1990. 

[2] Medical Registers and Directories. 

[3] ancestry.co.uk