Sir Hugh Lett, 1st Baronet, (17 April 1876 – 19 July 1964) was a British

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

with a special interest in urology and headed the London Hospital's genito-urinary department for many years. He served on the council of the

Royal College of Surgeons of England The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is an independent professional body and registered charity that promotes and advances standards of surgical care for patients, and regulates surgery and dentistry in England and Wales. The ...

from 1927 to 1943 and was president from 1938 to 1940, following which he was created a

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

in 1941. He was also appointed

Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

(KCVO) in 1947 for his services to the King Edward's Hospital Fund, of which he had been honorary secretary since 1941. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he chaired the committee for the allocation of medical manpower. From 1946 to 1948 he was chairman of the

British Medical Association The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association's headquar ...

during the creation of the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

Early life and education

Lett was born in

Waddingham Waddingham is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is geographically situated to the east of the A15 road, south-east from Scunthorpe and north from Lincoln. According to the United Kingdom Ce ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

, the eldest of eight children of local general practitioner Richard Alfred Lett and his wife Bithiah (née Appleford). His younger sister, Phyllis, later became a famous

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically b ...

. He was educated at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...

and the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

and then trained as a doctor at the London Hospital from 1896. He returned to Leeds to graduate MBBCh in 1899 and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) in 1902, after passing the MRCS and LRCP.

Career

He worked at the London Hospital, being appointed surgical registrar in 1902, assistant surgeon in 1905, surgeon in 1915, and later senior surgeon. He also served as lecturer in anatomy and clinical and operative surgery from 1909 to 1912. He was a general surgeon, but had a special interest in urology and headed the hospital's genito-urinary department for many years. In 1905 he published a study of the treatment of

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

by removal of the

ovaries The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. T ...

, one of the earliest studies in this field. At the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in 1914 he was commissioned into the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

and served at the Anglo-American Hospital at Wimereux in France from 1914 to 1915, the Belgian field hospital at Veurne in 1915, and then in Egypt. He resigned his commission in November 1916 with the rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

and was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE) in January 1920, three years after being elected president of the Hunterian Society. In December 1934 he retired from active surgery and became consulting surgeon to the London Hospital, effectively an honorary position. He served on the council of the

from 1927 to 1943 and was president from 1938 to 1940, following which he was created a

in 1941. He was also appointed

(KCVO) in 1947 for his services to the King Edward's Hospital Fund, of which he had been honorary secretary since 1941. During the

he chaired the committee for the allocation of medical manpower. From 1946 to 1948 he was chairman of the

, during the creation of the

. In 1932 he became president of the urology section 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’ chambers ...

, London.

Personal and family

Lett married Helen (Nellie) Browne, daughter of the famous surgeon Sir Buckston Browne, in 1906; they had three daughters.

Death

He died at his home at Walmer,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. As he had no sons, the baronetcy became extinct.

Arms

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lett, Hugh 1876 births 1964 deaths People from West Lindsey District People educated at Marlborough College Alumni of the University of Leeds Alumni of the London Hospital Medical College Academics of the London Hospital Medical College English surgeons British urologists Royal Army Medical Corps officers British Army personnel of World War I Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England