Kenneth William Donald (1911–1994) was a British physician, surgeon, pulmonologist, cardiologist, professor of medicine, and leading expert on underwater physiology and exercise physiology.

Biography

After education at Emmanuel College, Cambridge and

St Bartholomew's Hospital St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust. History Early history Barts was founded in 1123 by Rahere (die ...

, he qualified MRCS, LRCP in 1936 and graduated MB BChir (Cantab.) in 1938. After house appointments, he joined the Royal Navy in 1939. He was Surgeon Lieutenant aboard HMS ''Hotspur'' during the

first naval Battle of Narvik The Battles of Narvik were fought from 9 April to 8 June 1940, as a naval battle in the Ofotfjord and as a land battle in the mountains surrounding the north Norwegian town of Narvik, as part of the Norwegian Campaign of the Second World War. ...

in April 1940. He was awarded the DSC in June 1940. Donald graduated MD in 1945. From 1946 to 1948 he worked at St Bartholomew's Hospital as chief assistant to Ronald Christie and worked with Christie's research group on the physiology of chronic lung disease. From 1948 to 1949 Donald was a Rockefeller fellow at Manhattan's

Bellevue Hospital Bellevue Hospital (officially NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and formerly known as Bellevue Hospital Center) is a hospital in New York City and the oldest public hospital in the United States. One of the largest hospitals in the United States ...

, where he worked with the Nobel prize winner André Cournand. Donald also collaborated there with Richard L. Riley (1911–2001) on research involving "ventilation-perfusion relationships and gas diffusion at the alveolo-capillary membrane of the lungs." After returning to England, Donald was from 1949 to 1950 a senior lecturer at the

Royal Brompton Hospital Royal Brompton Hospital is the largest specialist heart and lung medical centre in the United Kingdom. It is managed by Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. History Consumption in the 19th Century In the 19th century, consumption was a c ...

. From 1950 to 1959 he was reader in medicine at the

University of Birmingham Medical School The University of Birmingham Medical School is one of Britain's largest and oldest medical schools with over 400 medical, 70 pharmacy, 140 biomedical science and 130 nursing students graduating each year. It is based at the University of Birmi ...

. At Birmingham he did research on pulmonary circulation, with a team including John Bishop, Gordon Cumming (1922–2001), Archie C. Pincock, and Owen Lyndon Wade (1921–2008). From 1959 to 1976 Donald held the chair of medicine at the University of Edinburgh. His predecessor was Sir Stanley Davidson. Donald was dean of the faculty of medicine for three years. He gave the

Bradshaw Lecture The Bradshaw Lectures are prestigious lectureships given at the invitation of the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Surgeons of England. List of past lecturers at Royal College of Physicians List of past lecturers at Royal Co ...

in 1958. He was elected FRCP in 1952 and FRCPE in 1960. In 1959 he was elected a member of the Harveian Society of Edinburgh and served as President in 1971. He was from 1967 to 1976 physician to the Queen in Scotland and was from 1976 to 1977 president of the Association of Physicians of Great Britain and Ireland. He retired in 1976. Upon his death he was survived by his widow.

Selected publications

* * *with W. M. Davidson and W. O. Shelford: *with J. M. Bishop, S. H. Taylor, and P. N. Wormald: *with Lindsay A. G. Davidson and Cecil T. G. Flear: * *with A. Armstrong, Barbara Duncan, Michael Francis Oliver, Desmond Gareth Julian, Mary Fulton, W. Lutz, and S. L. Morrison:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donald, Kenneth William 1911 births 1994 deaths Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge Alumni of the Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital Academics of the University of Edinburgh 20th-century British medical doctors Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh