John Nicholas Walton, Baron Walton of Detchant (16 September 1922 – 21 April 2016) was a British

neuroscientist A neuroscientist (or neurobiologist) is a scientist who has specialised knowledge in neuroscience, a branch of biology that deals with the physiology, biochemistry, psychology, anatomy and molecular biology of neurons, neural circuits, and glial ...

, academic, and life peer who sat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

as a crossbencher.

Life

Lord Walton qualified from Durham University College of Medicine and completed his MD at

Newcastle Medical School Newcastle University School of Medicine is the medical school at Newcastle University in England. It was established in 1834 in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and served as the College of Medicine in connection with Durham University from 18 ...

. Walton was President of the British Medical Association (BMA) from 1980 to 1982, President of the General Medical Council (GMC) 1982-89 and President of the

Royal Society of Medicine The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is a medical society in the United Kingdom, headquartered in London. History The Society was established in 1805 as Medical and Chirurgical Society of London, meeting in two rooms in barristers’ chamber ...

from 1984 to 1986. He was also appointed second Warden of Green College, Oxford in 1983, where he stayed until 1989. Green College merged with Templeton College, Oxford in 2008 to become

Green Templeton College Green Templeton College (GTC) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. The college is located on the previous Green College site on Woodstock Road next to the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter in North Oxford and ...

, located on the site that was previously Green College. Having been knighted in 1979, Walton was created a life peer on 24 July 1989 as Baron Walton of Detchant, ''of Detchant in the County of Northumberland'' and sat as a crossbencher. In 1992 he became a member of the Science and Technology Committee, leaving in 1996, returning in 1997 and leaving again in 2001. From 1993 to 1994 he was Chair of the Medical Ethics committee. He was Secretary of the Rare Diseases Group from 2009 until his death. He was a member of the

Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters ( no, Det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick Unive ...

. He was Patron of The Little Foundation, Honorary Life President of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, Vice President of

Parkinson's UK Parkinson's UK is a Parkinson's research and support charity in the United Kingdom. In April 2010, the Parkinson's Disease Society changed its name to become Parkinson's UK. Its aims are to improve the quality of life for people affected by Park ...

and Honorary Chairman of the United Kingdom Medical Students' Association (UKMSA). He wrote an autobiography ''The Spice of Life: From Northumbria to World Neurology'' in 1993. It had 643 pages and, according to the review in the BMJ, “tells you absolutely everything utby the end of the book you really know nothing about him except that he has a colossal memory.”

Death

Lord Walton of Detchant died on 21 April 2016, aged 93.Notice of death of Lord Walton of Detchant
parliament.uk; accessed 27 April 2016.

Life

Death

Arms

References

External links