Basil Mackenzie, 2nd Baron Amulree (25 July 1900 – 15 December 1983) was a British physician and leading advocate of geriatric medicine in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Background and education

Amulree was born in South Kensington, London, England, the son of William Mackenzie, a barrister, and Lilian, daughter of W. H. Bradbury. He was educated at

Lancing College Lancing College is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in southern England, UK. The school is located in West Sussex, east of Worthing near the village of Lancing, on the south coast of England. ...

and

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of t ...

G. E. Cokayne George Edward Cokayne, (29 April 1825 – 6 August 1911), was an English genealogist and long-serving herald at the College of Arms in London, who eventually rose to the rank of Clarenceux King of Arms. He wrote such authoritative and standar ...

, Vicary Gibbs, et al., ''

The Complete Peerage ''The Complete Peerage'' (full title: ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom Extant, Extinct, or Dormant''; first edition by George Edward Cokayne, Clarenceux King of Arms; 2nd edition rev ...

'' (Gloucester: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume XIII, page 472

Career

Upon graduating Amulree joined the Ministry of Health, initially working on the delivery of cancer services, but then on what would become

geriatrics Geriatrics, or geriatric medicine, is a medical specialty focused on providing care for the unique health needs of older adults. The term ''geriatrics'' originates from the Greek γέρων ''geron'' meaning "old man", and ιατρός ''iatros ...

. Amulree at the ministry, J. H. Sheldon in Wolverhampton,

Marjory Warren Marjory Winsome Warren ( 28 October 1897 – 5 September 1960) is one of the first geriatricians and considered the mother of modern geriatric medicine. Early life and career Warren was born in London, to Walter Richard Warren (a barrister) and hi ...

Trevor Howell Trevor ( Trefor in the Welsh language) is a common given name or surname of Welsh origin. It is an habitational name, deriving from the Welsh ''tre(f)'', meaning "homestead", or "settlement" and ''fawr'', meaning "large, big". The Cornish langu ...

in Croydon and Oxford's

Lionel Cosin __TOC__ Lionel may refer to: Name *Lionel (given name) Places * Lionel, Lewis, a village in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland *Lionel Town, Jamaica, a settlement Brands and enterprises *Lionel, LLC, an American designer and importer of toy trains and m ...

were some of the founders of the

Medical Society for the Care of the Elderly The British Geriatrics Society (BGS) is the professional body of specialists in the healthcare of older people in the United Kingdom. Membership is drawn from doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, researchers and others working in the fie ...

in 1947. In time, this would become the

British Geriatrics Society The British Geriatrics Society (BGS) is the professional body of specialists in the healthcare of older people in the United Kingdom. Membership is drawn from doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, researchers and others working in the fie ...

and Amulree would lead this until 1973. In 1929, Amulree's father was created

Baron Amulree Baron Amulree, of Strathbraan in the County of Perth, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 22 July 1929 for the lawyer and Labour politician Sir William Mackenzie. He was Secretary of State for Air The Secre ...

, and in 1942 he succeeded him in the barony, gaining a seat 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 ...

. In 1949 he become physician in charge of the geriatric department at

University College Hospital University College Hospital (UCH) is a teaching hospital in the Fitzrovia area of the London Borough of Camden, England. The hospital, which was founded as the North London Hospital in 1834, is closely associated with University College Lond ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. He was governor and president of a number of organisations including the

, the Society for the Study of Medical Ethics and the Association of Occupational Therapists. In the Lords he sat as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

and was a party Whip between 1955 and 1977. He spoke in the Lords on a variety of issues in relation to the care of the elderly.

Personal life

Amulree died on 15 December 1983, aged 83, unmarried. The barony became extinct on his death. According to James Lord, around 1948 he was having an affair with the art historian Douglas Cooper; when they parted, Cooper settled with John Richardson.James Lord, ''Picasso and Dora: a personal memoir'' (London:

Weidenfeld & Nicolson Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd (established 1949), often shortened to W&N or Weidenfeld, is a British publisher of fiction and reference books. It has been a division of the French-owned Orion Publishing Group since 1991. History George Weidenfeld a ...

, 1993),

Arms

References

External links

Lord Amulree's Jacobite Collection at the University of Stirling Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amulree, Basil Mackenzie, 1st Baron 1900 births 1983 deaths People from South Kensington People educated at Lancing College 2 Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge English people of Scottish descent 20th-century English medical doctors Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Liberal Party (UK) hereditary peers LGBT peers LGBT physicians English LGBT politicians 20th-century British LGBT people