Sir Hugh William Bell Cairns
KBE FRCS
Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an intercollegiate basis by the four Royal Colleges of Surgeons (the Royal C ...
(26 June 1896 – 18 July 1952) was an Australian
neurosurgeon
Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty concerned with the surgical treatment of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and peri ...
. For most of his life he lived in England. His concern about
despatch rider
A despatch rider (or dispatch) is a military messenger, mounted on horse or motorcycle (and occasionally in Egypt during World War I, on camels).
In the UK 'despatch rider' is also a term used for a motorcycle courier.
Despatch riders were use ...
injuries sparked research which led to increased use of
motorcycle helmet
A motorcycle helmet is a type of helmet used by motorcycle riders. Motorcycle helmets contribute to motorcycle safety by protecting the rider's head in the event of an impact. They reduce the risk of head injury by 69% and the risk of death by 42%. ...
s. After one of his patients died, who was
Lawrence of Arabia
Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–191 ...
, he studied the positive effect the use of motorbike helmets had on reducing the severity of head injuries.
Early years and education
Hugh Cairns was born in
Port Pirie
Port Pirie is a small city on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia, north of the state capital, Adelaide. The city has an expansive history which dates back to 1845. Port Pirie was the first proclaimed regional city in South A ...
, South Australia, but spent his early childhood in
Riverton, South Australia
Riverton is a small town in the Mid North of South Australia, in the Gilbert Valley. It is situated on the Gilbert River, from which the town derives its name. Both the Gilbert Valley and Gilbert River were named after South Australian pioneer ...
where he received all of his primary school education. He went to
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
for his secondary education at
Adelaide High School
Adelaide High School is a coeducational state high school situated on the corner of West Terrace and Glover Avenue in the Adelaide Parklands. Following the Advanced School for Girls, it was the second government high school in South Australi ...
and tertiary education at the
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...
. He was awarded the 1917 South Australian
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...
and went to the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
to read Medicine. He was president of the
Balliol Boat Club and represented Oxford as bow in the
Boat Race
Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...
of 1920.
Career
Cairns worked as a neurosurgeon at the
London Hospital
The Royal London Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is part of Barts Health NHS Trust. It provides district general hospital services for the City of London and Tower Hamlets and sp ...
and with
Harvey Cushing
Harvey Williams Cushing (April 8, 1869 – October 7, 1939) was an American neurosurgeon, pathologist, writer, and draftsman. A pioneer of brain surgery, he was the first exclusive neurosurgeon and the first person to describe Cushing's disease. ...
at Harvard before setting up the Nuffield Department of Surgery in Oxford, in which he became the first Nuffield Professor of Surgery. He was a key figure in the development of neurosurgery as a speciality, the formation of the
Oxford University Medical School
Oxford University Medical School is the medical school of the University of Oxford in the city of Oxford, England. It is a component of the Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Medical Sciences Division, and teaching is carried out i ...
, and the treatment of head injuries during the Second World War. The Cairns Library (one of the
Bodleian Libraries
The Bodleian Libraries are a collection of 28 libraries that serve the University of Oxford in England, including the Bodleian Library itself, as well as many other (but not all) central and faculty libraries. As of the 2016–17 year, the librari ...
) at the
John Radcliffe Hospital
The John Radcliffe Hospital (informally known as the JR) is a large tertiary teaching hospital in Oxford, England. It forms part of the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is named after John Radcliffe, an 18th-century physici ...
in Oxford is named after him, as is the medical school Hugh Cairns Surgical Society. A
blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...
for him at his 1920s residence at
Loughton
Loughton () is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex. Part of the metropolitan and urban area of London, the town borders Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill, and is northeast of Chari ...
has been erected.
In June 1946 he received the title of Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
While at the London Hospital and in Oxford, Cairns trained US-born surgeon Joseph Buford Pennybacker, who in 1952 took over as director of the
Radcliffe
Radcliffe or Radcliff may refer to:
Places
* Radcliffe Line, a border between India and Pakistan
United Kingdom
* Radcliffe, Greater Manchester
** Radcliffe Tower, the remains of a medieval manor house in the town
** Radcliffe tram stop
* ...
's neurosurgery department, a job he held until he retired in 1971.
Profoundly affected by treating
T. E. Lawrence
Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918 ...
for head injuries during the six days before the latter died after a
motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
accident, Cairns began a long study of what he saw as the unnecessary loss of life by motorcycle
despatch rider
A despatch rider (or dispatch) is a military messenger, mounted on horse or motorcycle (and occasionally in Egypt during World War I, on camels).
In the UK 'despatch rider' is also a term used for a motorcycle courier.
Despatch riders were use ...
s through head injuries. His research led to the use of
crash helmets by both military and civilian motorcyclists. As a consequence of treating Lawrence, Cairns would ultimately save the lives of many motorcyclists.
He died of cancer at the
Radcliffe Infirmary
The Radcliffe Infirmary was a hospital in central north Oxford, England, located at the southern end of Woodstock Road on the western side, backing onto Walton Street.
History
The initial proposals to build a hospital in Oxford were put forw ...
, Oxford on 18 July 1952.
Hugh William Bell Cairns
Whonamedit. Retrieved on 3 June 2014. The Society of British Neurological Surgeons established an annual lecture in his name. There is a road named after him at Bedford Park, South Australia
Bedford Park is a southern suburb of Adelaide in South Australia.
The Hancock family established a homestead and farm at the foot of the Adelaide Hills in the mid 19th century. A family name from an earlier generation lent its name to the proper ...
, adjacent to Flinders Medical Centre
Flinders Medical Centre (FMC) is a major public tertiary hospital and teaching school, co-located with Flinders University and the 130 bed Flinders Private Hospital located at Bedford Park, South Australia. It opened in 1976. It serves as the t ...
.
A ward at the Walton Centre
The Walton Centre, formerly known as the Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery, is a major neurology hospital located in the suburb of Fazakerley in the city of Liverpool, England. It is one of several specialist hospitals located within ...
, Liverpool, is named after him.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cairns, Hugh
1896 births
1952 deaths
Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford
Oxford University Boat Club rowers
University of Adelaide alumni
Australian Rhodes Scholars
Australian neurosurgeons
English neurosurgeons
20th-century Australian medical doctors
20th-century English medical doctors
Harvard Medical School people
People from Port Pirie
People from Loughton
Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
20th-century surgeons
Australian military personnel of World War I
Australian military doctors
Royal Army Medical Corps officers
British Army personnel of World War II
Australian emigrants to the United Kingdom
People educated at Adelaide High School