Norman Morris
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Norman Frederick Morris (26 February 1920 – 29 February 2008) was a British pioneer of women's health. He was a professor of
obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgi ...
and gynaecology at
Charing Cross Hospital Charing Cross Hospital is an acute general teaching hospital located in Hammersmith, London, United Kingdom. The present hospital was opened in 1973, although it was originally established in 1818, approximately five miles east, in central Lond ...
Medical School (1958–1985) and was also a university administrator. From 1971 to 1980, he was dean of medicine, and then deputy vice-chancellor at the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
. However his greatest contribution was to question current standards of
prenatal care Prenatal care, also known as antenatal care, is a type of preventive healthcare. It is provided in the form of medical checkups, consisting of recommendations on managing a healthy lifestyle and the provision of medical information such as materna ...
. He was critical of the way that midwives and obstetricians treated women, and his work was summarized in a paper in the '' Lancet'' in 1960. This paper was based on interviews with 500 women, included no references and at the time was extremely controversial. In 2007, the ''Lancet'' included this paper in the '200 most important publications in the Lancet'.


Early life and education

Morris was born in 1920 in
Luton Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable an ...
. His father, Frederick, was a Nalgo
shop steward A union representative, union steward, or shop steward is an employee of an organization or company who represents and defends the interests of their fellow employees as a labor union member and official. Rank-and-file members of the union hold ...
. His mother Evelyn was a teacher and was a great influence in his life. He was headboy of
Dunstable Grammar School Dunstable Grammar School was a grammar school in the market town of Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England. Opened in 1888, it was closed in 1971. The site is now home to residential flats and apartments. Foundation Dunstable Grammar School was esta ...
and was selected by Lord Moran to become a medical student at St Mary's Hospital Medical School. It was at St Mary's, he was taught and guided by the Medical Reformer Alec Bourne, the Gynaecologist responsible for the Abortion Act. He spent the early war years as an ARP warden with
Sir Alexander Fleming Sir Alexander Fleming (6 August 1881 – 11 March 1955) was a Scottish physician and microbiologist, best known for discovering the world's first broadly effective antibiotic substance, which he named penicillin. His discovery in 1928 of what ...
. After qualification, he worked in Amersham and then in the East End of
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 ...
.


Career

Morris held junior posts in
obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgi ...
and
gynaecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined are ...
at St Mary's. He was first assistant at
Hammersmith Hospital Hammersmith Hospital, formerly the Military Orthopaedic Hospital, and later the Special Surgical Hospital, is a major teaching hospital in White City, West London. It is part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in the London Borough of H ...
and became reader at
University College Hospital University College Hospital (UCH) is a teaching hospital in the Fitzrovia area of the London Borough of Camden, England. The hospital, which was founded as the North London Hospital in 1834, is closely associated with University College London ...
. In 1958, he was appointed professor of obstetrics and gynaecology. He was the first clinical professor at
Charing Cross Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Clockwise from north these are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City; ...
. His initial research interest was
hypertension Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...
in
pregnancy Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops ( gestates) inside a woman's uterus (womb). A multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Pregnancy usually occurs by sexual intercourse, but ca ...
. He published a series of papers on uterine blood flow and was the first obstetrician to show that there was reduced blood flow in the uterus in women who subsequently developed
pre-eclampsia Pre-eclampsia is a disorder of pregnancy characterized by the onset of high blood pressure and often a significant amount of protein in the urine. When it arises, the condition begins after 20 weeks of pregnancy. In severe cases of the disease ...
. At Charing Cross he developed a clinical and basic science research programme. He was the first obstetrician to introduce fathers to the labour ward and built a labour ward without the traditional first and second stage rooms. Staff were encouraged to attend Balint style department meetings. He worked closely with Emanual Lewis, a psychiatrist and pediatrician Dr Hugh Jolly. SANDS was founded from these meetings. The first
water birth Water birth is labor and sometimes delivery that occurs in water, usually a birthing pool. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists does not recommend birthing in water as the safety has not been determined. Proponents believe chi ...
was carried out at Charing Cross in the 1970s. Dr Frederick Leboyer came to work with Morris. Charing Cross moved from its base in Covent Carden to
West London West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary. The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: North London ...
in 1972, where major changes in obstetric care were developed. He was also a campaigner for medical academics and established AUCAS. a pressure group that achieved parity of pay for university doctors. He set up a campaign to allow Jewish doctors from
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
to emigrate and develop careers in the UK and
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. He trained professors in the UK, America, Europe and India. He was a founder and first president of the International Society of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He was president of the Division of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Section at 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 ...
and the West London Medico-Chirological Society. He was deputy chairman of the Northwest Thames Health Authority and chairman of the regional research committee. He was the deputy chair of the Flowers Report. He was a visiting professor to 27 universities. He retired from 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 " ...
(NHS) in 1985 and became medical director of the IVF unit at
Cromwell Hospital The Cromwell Hospital is a private sector hospital located in the South Kensington area of London. It is operated by international healthcare company Bupa. History The hospital, which was designed by Holder Mathias, was established by Bank of Cre ...
. He was the director of the Commonwealth Health secretariat. At age 80, he established postgraduate courses for the MRCS and the MRCP. He continued to work until his death in 2008.


Personal life

In 1944, as a junior doctor, he met Dr Benjamin Rivlin, a local GP, originally from
Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
. In 1945, he married Rivlin's daughter Lucy. The couple were married for over 60 years and had four children, all of whom became doctors. His life was celebrated at the Royal College of Obstetricians in 2008; speakers included politician
Tony Benn Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn (3 April 1925 – 14 March 2014), known between 1960 and 1963 as Viscount Stansgate, was a British politician, writer and diarist who served as a Cabinet of the United Kingdom, Cabinet minister in the 1960s and 1970s. ...
, and diplomat Emeka Anyoka. The eulogy was read by
Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...
actor and comedian
Barry Humphries John Barry Humphries (born 17 February 1934) is an Australian comedian, actor, author and satirist. He is best known for writing and playing his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. He is also a film prod ...
(in the guise of Dame
Edna Everage Dame Edna Everage, often known simply as Dame Edna, is a character created and performed by Australian comedian Barry Humphries, known for her lilac-coloured ("wisteria hue") hair and cat eye glasses ("face furniture"); her favourite flower, th ...
).


Works or publications

* * The Lancet, Volume 275, Issue 7130, Pages 913–915, 23 April 1960


References


External links


Obituary at "The Independent"

Biography at *"The Lancet"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Norman Frederick 1920 births 2008 deaths British obstetricians British gynaecologists Academics of the University of London Social Democratic Party (UK) politicians