Michael George Corbett Ashby, MRCP, FRCP (1 November 1914 – 10 December 2004) was a consultant

neurologist Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal c ...

at the

Whittington Hospital Whittington Hospital is a district general and teaching hospital of UCL Medical School and Middlesex University School of Health and Social Sciences. Located in Upper Holloway, it is managed by Whittington Health NHS Trust, operating as Whitting ...

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and an

expert witness An expert witness, particularly in common law countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, is a person whose opinion by virtue of education, training, certification, skills or experience, is accepted by the judge as ...

for the prosecution in the failed trial of suspected

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

John Bodkin Adams John Bodkin Adams (21 January 18994 July 1983) was an Irish-born British general practitioner, convicted fraudster, and suspected serial killer. Between 1946 and 1956, 163 of his patients died while in comas, which was deemed to be worthy of i ...

.Cullen, Pamela V., "A Stranger in Blood: The Case Files on Dr John Bodkin Adams", London, Elliott & Thompson, 2006;

Life

Ashby (always known as "Mike") was born in

, the son of Arthur Brian Ashby, a barrister and company chairman, and Dame Margery Corbett-Ashby.Royal College of Physicians
/ref> He was educated at Ashdown House Preparatory School and at

Oundle School Oundle School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for pupils 11–18 situated in the market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire, England. The school has been governed by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City ...

. He studied medicine at

New College, Oxford New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as its feeder school, New College is one of the oldest colleges at th ...

, and 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 spe ...

. Whilst at Oxford he rowed in the boat that won 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 ...

in 1936 and 1937. At London Hospital he was United Hospitals

light-heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserw ...

boxing champion for two successive years.

Career

After qualifying, he was a house physician before joining the

RAMC 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 ...

, where he served from 1943 until 1947, becoming a medical specialist in 1945. On discharge from the Army in 1947 he worked at the National Hospital before returning to London Hospital as senior registrar to

Russell Brain Walter Russell Brain, 1st Baron Brain (23 October 1895 – 29 December 1966) was a British neurologist. He was principal author of the standard work of neurology, ''Brain's Diseases of the Nervous System'', and longtime editor of the homonymo ...

and Ronald Henson. In 1949 he was appointed consultant neurologist to the Whittington Hospital in north London, where he remained until his retirement in 1975. He succeeded

Macdonald Critchley Macdonald Critchley CBE (2 February 1900 – 15 October 1997) was a British neurologist. He was former president of the World Federation of Neurology, and the author of over 200 published articles on neurology and 20 books, including ''The Pariet ...

as consultant neurologist to the Royal Masonic Hospital in 1965, also retiring from there in 1975. He also had a private

Harley Street Harley Street is a street in Marylebone, Central London, which has, since the 19th century housed a large number of private specialists in medicine and surgery. It was named after Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer.< ...

practice which involved much medico-legal work. He gave evidence in the

Guenther Podola Guenther Fritz Erwin Podola (8 February 1929 – 5 November 1959, alias Mike Colato) was a German-born petty thief, and the last man to be hanged in Britain for killing a police officer. His trial was notable and controversial because of his ...

and

murder trials. His evidence in the latter in 1957 has been criticised for being too indecisive. While fellow witness Dr Arthur Douthwaite was adamant Adams had killed the victim,

Edith Alice Morrell Edith Alice Morrell (20 June 1869 – 13 November 1950) was a resident of Eastbourne, East Sussex, England, and patient of Dr John Bodkin Adams. Although Adams was acquitted in 1957 of her murder, the question of Adams' role in Morrell's death ex ...

, Ashby was more hesitant. In summing up, the judge called Ashby "the key witness", one "coming between the extremes", whose "border-line evidence" made it unsafe to convict.Patrick Devlin, Easing the passing: The trial of Doctor John Bodkin Adams, London, The Bodley Head, 1985 Adams was acquitted of the Morrell charge but was due to be tried for the murder of

Gertrude Hullett Gertrude or Gertrud may refer to: Places In space *Gertrude (crater), a crater on Uranus's moon Titania *710 Gertrud, a minor planet Terrestrial placenames * Gertrude, Arkansas *Gertrude, Washington * Gertrude, West Virginia People *Gertrude (g ...

straight after. The prosecutor,

Reginald Manningham-Buller Reginald Edward Manningham-Buller, 1st Viscount Dilhorne, (1 August 1905 – 7 September 1980), known as Sir Reginald Manningham-Buller, Bt, from 1954 to 1962 and as The Lord Dilhorne from 1962 to 1964, was an English lawyer and Conservative pol ...

, withdrew the charge however by entering a

nolle prosequi , abbreviated or , is legal Latin meaning "to be unwilling to pursue".Nolle prosequi
. refe ...

– partly because – in his words – the case would again be "based on the evidence of Dr Ashby". Adams was thought by Home Office

pathologist Pathology is the study of the causal, causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when us ...

Francis Camps Francis Edward Camps, FRCP, FRCPath (28 June 1905 – 8 July 1972) was an English pathologist notable for his work on the cases of serial killer John Christie and suspected serial killer John Bodkin Adams. Early life and training Camps was bo ...

to have killed 163 patients.

Family

In 1944 Ashby married Pamela Mary Roffey. They had two sons and two daughters. Their elder daughter, Charlotte, died in a car crash in 1966, the day before her 21st birthday.

Personal interests

Ashby was a

freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

and director of ceremonies at the London Hospital

Lodge Lodge is originally a term for a relatively small building, often associated with a larger one. Lodge or The Lodge may refer to: Buildings and structures Specific * The Lodge (Australia), the official Canberra residence of the Prime Ministe ...

References

External links

Royal College of Physicians article on Ashby

Report on Ashby's evidence in the Adams trial
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashby, Michael 1914 births 2004 deaths 20th-century English medical doctors British neurologists People educated at Oundle School British Army personnel of World War II Royal Army Medical Corps officers Military personnel from London