John Leonard Dawson (30 September 1932 – 16 May 1999) was an English
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 ...
particularly known for his work in the field of
liver disease
Liver disease, or hepatic disease, is any of many diseases of the liver. If long-lasting it is termed chronic liver disease. Although the diseases differ in detail, liver diseases often have features in common.
Signs and symptoms
Some of the sig ...
. He pioneered several surgical techniques, including radical
tumour
A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...
resection, injection
sclerotherapy
Sclerotherapy (the word reflects the Greek ''skleros'', meaning ''hard'')
is a procedure used to treat blood vessel malformations (vascular malformations) and also malformations of the lymphatic system. A medicine is injected into the vessels, wh ...
and
portosystemic shunt
A portosystemic shunt or portasystemic shunt (medical subject heading term; PSS), also known as a liver shunt, is a bypass of the liver by the body's circulatory system. It can be either a congenital (present at birth) or acquired condition and occ ...
surgery. He served as the
Serjeant Surgeon
The Serjeant Surgeon is the senior surgeon in the Medical Household of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The origin of the post dates back to 1253. Early serjeant surgeons were military surgeons who followed their king ...
to the
Royal Household of 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 continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, and was described by a peer as "the best general surgeon in London in the 1970s and 1980s".
Early life and education
Dawson was born in
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
in 1932,
to Leslie Joseph Dawson and his wife Mabel née Jayes.
He attended
Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys
Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys was a grammar school in Leicester, England, in existence from 1876 to 1976.
It was succeeded by the present-day Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College.
History
After William Wyggeston's death in 1536, his brot ...
in Leicester, and then studied pathology at
King's College London School of Medicine
GKT School of Medical Education (abbreviated: GKT) is the medical school of King's College London. The school has campuses at three institutions, Guy's Hospital (Southwark), King's College Hospital (Denmark Hill) and St Thomas' Hospital (Lambet ...
, graduating
MB BS
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...
in 1955.
He served in Libya and Cyprus with 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 ...
for his National Service
National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939.
The l ...
. He trained at St James's Hospital
St. James's Hospital ''Confirms spelling of name as "James's" and Irish name'' ( ga, Ospidéal Naomh Séamas) is a teaching hospital in Dublin, Ireland. Its academic partner is Trinity College Dublin. It is managed by Dublin Midlands Hospital ...
, Balham
Balham () is an area in south London, England, mostly within the London Borough of Wandsworth with small parts within the neighbouring London Borough of Lambeth. The area has been settled since Saxon times and appears in the Domesday Book as B ...
, under Norman Tanner, and also under Edward Muir at King's College London
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...
. He gained his Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons
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 ...
in 1958. In 1963–64 he attended Boston City Hospital
The Boston City Hospital (1864–1996), in Boston, Massachusetts, was a public hospital, located in the South End. It was "intended for the use and comfort of poor patients, to whom medical care will be provided at the expense of the city, and . ...
and Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
on a Nuffield Scholarship.
Career
In 1964 or 1965, Dawson was appointed as a consultant surgeon at King's College Hospital
King's College Hospital is a major teaching hospital and major trauma centre in Denmark Hill, Camberwell in the London Borough of Lambeth, referred to locally and by staff simply as "King's" or abbreviated internally to "KCH". It is managed by K ...
, and he remained a surgeon there until 1994. He also held consultant positions at Bromley Hospital (1967–94) and the King Edward VII Hospital for Officers (1975–94). He was the Sir Arthur Sims Travelling Professor to Australasia (1981 or 1987). He succeeded Leonard Cotton as clinical dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at King's College London School of Medicine
GKT School of Medical Education (abbreviated: GKT) is the medical school of King's College London. The school has campuses at three institutions, Guy's Hospital (Southwark), King's College Hospital (Denmark Hill) and St Thomas' Hospital (Lambet ...
(1988–92). He was president of the surgical 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 ...
, served as vice-chair of the ''British Journal of Surgery
The ''British Journal of Surgery'' (''BJS'') is a monthly peer-reviewed publication targeting general surgeons and the associated subspecialities. At 6.939 it has the highest impact factor of any general surgical journal in Europe. It has been pu ...
'' (1981–89), and also worked for the Medical Appeals Tribunal Service. He was appointed surgeon to the Royal Household (1975–83), Surgeon to the Queen
In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to:
* Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death
The Queen may also refer to:
* Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...
(1983–90) and Serjeant Surgeon
The Serjeant Surgeon is the senior surgeon in the Medical Household of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The origin of the post dates back to 1253. Early serjeant surgeons were military surgeons who followed their king ...
(1990–91). He was a fellow of King's College London
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...
from 1995 until his death.
Described as an "excellent diagnostician" who offered "sympathetic and meticulous" care after surgery, one of his peers called Dawson "the best general surgeon in London in the 1970s and 1980s". His early work was on the causes of postoperative kidney failure
Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...
; he also researched jaundice
Jaundice, also known as icterus, is a yellowish or greenish pigmentation of the skin and sclera due to high bilirubin levels. Jaundice in adults is typically a sign indicating the presence of underlying diseases involving abnormal heme meta ...
in association with kidney failure. He later specialised in liver disease
Liver disease, or hepatic disease, is any of many diseases of the liver. If long-lasting it is termed chronic liver disease. Although the diseases differ in detail, liver diseases often have features in common.
Signs and symptoms
Some of the sig ...
. He pioneered several surgical techniques, including radical tumour
A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...
resection, injection sclerotherapy
Sclerotherapy (the word reflects the Greek ''skleros'', meaning ''hard'')
is a procedure used to treat blood vessel malformations (vascular malformations) and also malformations of the lymphatic system. A medicine is injected into the vessels, wh ...
and portosystemic shunt
A portosystemic shunt or portasystemic shunt (medical subject heading term; PSS), also known as a liver shunt, is a bypass of the liver by the body's circulatory system. It can be either a congenital (present at birth) or acquired condition and occ ...
surgery for portal hypertension
Portal hypertension is abnormally increased portal venous pressure – blood pressure in the portal vein and its branches, that drain from most of the intestine to the liver. Portal hypertension is defined as a hepatic venous pressure gradient gr ...
. His hepatic focus was important in developing the Liver Unit at King's College Hospital, which was established in 1966 by Roger Williams
Roger Williams (21 September 1603between 27 January and 15 March 1683) was an English-born New England Puritan minister, theologian, and author who founded Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation ...
and soon built an international reputation.
Personal life
In 1958, he married Rosemary Brundle, a physiotherapist
Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient ...
; they had a daughter and two sons. His brother Anthony Dawson was a physician who served as Physician to the Queen. In 1991, Dawson was diagnosed with hepatitis
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal pa ...
and retired from some of his roles, continuing to work in others until his final year. He required a liver transplant
Liver transplantation or hepatic transplantation is the replacement of a Liver disease, diseased liver with the healthy liver from another person (allograft). Liver transplantation is a treatment option for Cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease and ...
and then developed spinal stenosis
Spinal stenosis is an abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal or neural foramen that results in pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots. Symptoms may include pain, numbness, or weakness in the arms or legs. Symptoms are typically gradual in on ...
, for which he received surgery. He died in London on 16 May 1999, after a second liver transplant.
Awards and honours
He was awarded the CVO in 1992. Dawson Ward at King's College Hospital
King's College Hospital is a major teaching hospital and major trauma centre in Denmark Hill, Camberwell in the London Borough of Lambeth, referred to locally and by staff simply as "King's" or abbreviated internally to "KCH". It is managed by K ...
was named in his honour.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawson, John Leonard
1932 births
1999 deaths
Alumni of King's College London
Academics of King's College London
Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order
Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons
Harvard Medical School people
People educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys
People from Leicester
English surgeons
Liver transplant recipients
20th-century surgeons
20th-century British Army personnel
Royal Army Medical Corps soldiers
Military personnel from Leicester