Professor Richard Lorraine de Chasteney Holbourne Saunders FRSE FRMS (29 May 1908–21 December 1995) was a 20th century South African anatomist. He received international acclaim for his x-ray and electron microscopy investigations of neurological conditions.

Life

Saunders was born on 29 May 1908 in

Grahamstown Makhanda, also known as Grahamstown, is a town of about 140,000 people in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated about northeast of Port Elizabeth and southwest of East London. Makhanda is the largest town in the Makana ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

, the son of Lucy Anderson (née Meiklejohn) and Col Frederick Anastasius Saunders, an army surgeon. He studied medicine at

Rhodes University Rhodes University is a public research university located in Makhanda (Grahamstown) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is one of four universities in the province. Established in 1904, Rhodes University is the province's oldest ...

then the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, graduating with an MB ChB in 1932, In 1940 he received his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...

(MD) with a dissertation on

spina bifida Spina bifida (Latin for 'split spine'; SB) is a birth defect in which there is incomplete closing of the spine and the membranes around the spinal cord during early development in pregnancy. There are three main types: spina bifida occulta, men ...

. He lectured in anatomy at the University of Edinburgh from 1933 to 1937. In 1937 he emigrated to Canada to take up a post as associate professor of Anatomy at Dalhousie University being appointed by Prof H. G. Grant. He became Assistant Professor in 1942 and full Professor in 1948. In 1946 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Donald Mainland,

James Couper Brash James Couper Brash, MC, FRCSE, FRSE (24 October 1886 in Cathcart – 19 January 1958 in Edinburgh) was a leading anatomist and embryologist in Britain. Early life and family James Couper Brash was born in Cathcart in Scotland, the son of ...

William Frederick Harvey Lieutenant-Colonel William Frederick Harvey Order of the Indian Empire, CIE Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, FRCPE Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, FRSE (1873-11 September 1948) was a Scottish expert on public health, serving fo ...

, and

William Ogilvy Kermack William Ogilvy Kermack FRS FRSE FRIC (26 April 1898 – 20 July 1970) was a Scottish biochemist. He made mathematical studies of epidemic spread and established links between environmental factors and specified diseases. He is noteworthy for ...

. He died on 21 December 1995 in

West Jeddore, Nova Scotia West Jeddore is a rural community of the Halifax Regional Municipality in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. History Battle at Winnepang (Jeddore Harbour) On July 22, 1722, immediately after the declaration of Dummer's War, Governor R ...

, Canada. His body was returned to Scotland for burial at

Ardchattan Ardchattan and Muckairn is a civil parish within Argyll and Bute in Scotland. It lies north of Oban, bordering Loch Etive and includes Glen Ure, Glen Creran, Barcaldine, Benderloch, Connel, Bonawe and Glen Etive. At the 2001 census, Ardchat ...

Kirk near Oban.

Family

He married Dr Sarah Cameron, and together they had a son, Alistair Corstan de Cusance Maxwell Saunders.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saunders, Richard Lorraine de Casteney Holbourne 1908 births 1995 deaths People from Makhanda, Eastern Cape Alumni of the University of Edinburgh South African anatomists Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh