John Stewart Orr FRSE FIP (d. 2001) was a 20th-century Scottish medical physicist and researcher. He was the creator of Orr's Spherule, a scientific teaching tool.

Life

He was born at 34 Gray Street in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

on 10 August 1930, the second son of Neil Orr, a lawyer. The family lived most of their life in

Milngavie Milngavie ( ; gd, Muileann-Ghaidh) is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland and a suburb of Glasgow. It is on the Allander Water, at the northwestern edge of Greater Glasgow, and about from Glasgow city centre. It neighbours Bearsden. Mi ...

. He was educated at the Atholl Preparatory School in

and Glasgow High School then studied Physics at

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

graduating BSc. Although too young to serve in the war he served two years

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 ...

in the late 1940s. For a while he worked with Barr and Stroud in Glasgow making specialist scientific instruments. Here he worked on developing missile guidance systems and on ultrasound instruments for medical use. He worked as a medical physicist for the West of Scotland Health Board being promoted to Senior Physicist in 1960 by Prof Lenihan. He concurrently worked at Glasgow's Western Infirmary and later in the Belvidere Hospital. His work included development of radiation treatment for cancer and use of radioactive isotopes, working with others such as Prof Tony Nias. In 1971 his alma mater awarded him an honorary doctorate (DSc). He did much to develop

MRI Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves ...

technology. In 1977 became Professor of Medical Physics at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School in Hammersmith in

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 ...

. In 1976 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were J. M. A. Lenihan,

John Greening John Greening (born 25 December 1950 in Burnie) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood in the VFL. Greening attended Montello Primary School and Parklands High as he grew up in the industrial town of Burnie in n ...

, John Paul and John R. Anderson. He died on 21 October 2001.

Family

He was married to Jean Williamson. They had one daughter and three sons.

References

2001 deaths People from Milngavie Alumni of the University of Glasgow British physicists Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1930 births {{UK-med-bio-stub