Andrew Best Semple (3 May 1912 in
Glasgow15 November 2013 in
Northamptonshire) was a Scottish doctor who specialised in
public health. He served as
honorary physician to the Queen
An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include:
* Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States
* Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germa ...
, and was the
Medical Officer of Health
A medical officer of health, also known as a medical health officer, chief health officer, chief public health officer or district medical officer, is the title commonly used for the senior government official of a health department, usually at a m ...
for
Liverpool from 1953 to 1974.
Biography
Semple was born in
Glasgow and educated at
Allan Glen's School. He graduated in medicine from the
University of Glasgow in 1934 and specialised in public health, serving as an assistant Medical Officer of Health in
Paisley,
Portsmouth and
Blackburn. During the Second World War he served in the
Royal Naval Reserve, electing for active service in the
Second Submarine Flotilla, where he gained the rank of
surgeon commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain.
...
. While in this role, he noticed that submariners struggled to adjust their eyesight while moving between brightly lit interiors to the dark observation tower. He proposed introducing amber lights to soften this transition, which was implemented at once.
From 1963 to 1965 Semple was appointed as honorary physician to the
Queen.
He was particularly interested in tackling the problems of undiagnosed
tuberculosis and
poor housing in the city. He introduced one of the UK's first
smokeless zone
The Clean Air Act 1956 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom enacted principally in response to London's Great Smog of 1952. It was sponsored by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government in England and the Department of Health ...
s under the
Clean Air Act 1956
The Clean Air Act 1956 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom enacted principally in response to London's Great Smog of 1952. It was sponsored by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government in England and the Department of Health ...
. Under his guidance Liverpool became one of the first local authorities to employ
mental welfare officers, and he helped to establish an employment unit for adolescents with
learning difficulties. He was a member of the
Royal College of Physicians and worked closely with the
World Health Organization.
Semple died on 15 November 2013, aged 101.
References
1912 births
2013 deaths
Scottish centenarians
Men centenarians
Alumni of the University of Glasgow
20th-century Scottish medical doctors
Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II
Royal Navy submariners
Royal Naval Reserve personnel
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