Sir Derrick Melville Dunlop

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

FRCP FRCPE FRCSE FDS LLD QHP (3 April 1902-9 June 1980) was a senior Scottish physician and pharmacologist at the forefront of British medical administration and policy-making in the late 20th century. He created the Dunlop Committee which investigates the side-effects of new drugs in the UK.

Life

Dunlop was born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

on 3 April 1902 the son of Margaret Boog Scott and her husband, Dr George Henry (Harry) Melville Dunlop (185?-1916) of 20 Abercromby Place, an expert in child health and physician at the Edinburgh Sick Children’s Hospital. His father died of pneumonia at Etaples in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. A Major in the

Royal Army Medical Corps 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 ...

he was one of the oldest physicians to volunteer for active service. Dunlop attended

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, is now part of the Se ...

from 1909-1919. He attended

Brasenose College Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the m ...

, Oxford and 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 Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

in 1926, followed by an MD gained in 1927. He worked briefly in

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 ...

before returning to Edinburgh to work under Sir

Robert Philip Sir Robert William Philip (29 December 1857 – 25 January 1939) was a Scottish physician and pioneer in the treatment and control of tuberculosis. Life Philip was born in Govan on the 29 December 1857, the son of Margaret Josephine Roberts ...

on pioneering work regarding the treatment of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

before taking up the Christison Chair in Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology aged 34, and also concurrently being Senior Physician at the

Edinburgh Royal Infirmary The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, or RIE, often (but incorrectly) known as the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, or ERI, was established in 1729 and is the oldest voluntary hospital in Scotland. The new buildings of 1879 were claimed to be the largest v ...

.Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Derrick Dunlop Dunlop tutored

Joyce Baird Joyce Elizabeth Leslie Baird (8 December 1929 – 3 October 2015) was a British trade unionist. Baird studied at The Abbey School, Reading, then at Newnham College, Cambridge, before training as a secretary. In 1952, she worked briefly as se ...

, who went on to establish a Metabolic Unit and conduct laboratory and clinical research into diabetes and other endocrine disorders. In 1937 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

. His proposers were Sir Robert William Philip,

Arthur Logan Turner Arthur Logan Turner FRCSEd FRSE LLD (4 May 1865 – 6 June 1939) was a Scottish surgeon, who specialised in diseases of ear, nose and throat (ENT) and was one of the first surgeons to work at the purpose-built ENT Pavilion at the Royal Infirmar ...

Edwin Bramwell Edwin Bramwell FRSE PRCPE LLD (1873–1952) was a 20th-century Scottish neurologist. He was President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh from 1933 to 1935. Life He was born in North Shields on 11 January 1873 the son of Martha ( ...

, and Sir Sydney Alfred Smith. In 1946, Dunlop was elected to the

Aesculapian Club The Aesculapian Club of Edinburgh is one of the oldest medical dining clubs in the world. It was founded in April 1773 by Dr. Andrew Duncan. Membership of the Club is limited to 11 Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh a ...

of Edinburgh. He was knighted by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

in 1960. In 1961 he was made official Physician to the Queen in Scotland, a post he held until 1965. He retired from his professorship in 1962. He lived most of his adult life at

Bavelaw Castle Bavelaw Castle is a historic house in the City of Edinburgh Council area, Scotland. It is north of Hare Hill in the Pentland Hills, four miles west of Penicuik, and two miles south of Balerno, above Threipmuir Reservoir. It was designated as a ...

near

Balerno Balerno (; gd, Baile Àirneach, IPA: �paleˈɛːɾʲnəx Scots: Balerno or Balernie) is a village on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland situated south-west of the city centre, next to Currie and then Juniper Green. Traditionally in the cou ...

, to the south-west of

, just south of

Threipmuir Reservoir Threipmuir Reservoir is a reservoir in the City of Edinburgh Council area, Scotland, UK. It is situated to the south of Edinburgh at the base of the Pentland Hills, two miles south of Balerno. Threipmuir reservoir is located behind an earth da ...

. In 1963 the British Government asked him to set up and chair a Committee following the

thalidomide Thalidomide, sold under the brand names Contergan and Thalomid among others, is a medication used to treat a number of cancers (including multiple myeloma), graft-versus-host disease, and a number of skin conditions including complications of ...

tragedy. This was called the

Committee on the Safety of Medicines The Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) was an independent advisory committee that advised the UK Licensing Authority on the quality, efficacy, and safety of medicines. Following the thalidomide tragedy of 1957 to 1961, in 1963 the government ...

. In 1968 he became the first Chairman of the newly created

Medicines Commission The Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) is a committee of the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. It was formed in October 2005, and assumed the responsibilities of the Medicines Commission and the Committee on Safety of Medic ...

. He died in

on 9 June 1980.

Awards and Positions Held

See * Sims Commonwealth Travelling Professor (1957) * Honorary degree from

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

* Honorary degree from the

National University of Ireland The National University of Ireland (NUI) ( ga, Ollscoil na hÉireann) is a federal university system of ''constituent universities'' (previously called ''university college, constituent colleges'') and ''recognised colleges'' set up under t ...

* Honorary degree from the

University of Bradford The University of Bradford is a Public university, public research university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. A plate glass university, it received its royal charter in 1966, making it the 40th university to be creat ...

* Honorary Fellow of the

American College of Physicians The American College of Physicians (ACP) is a national organization of internists, who specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, and care of adults.Sokanu "What is an Internist?" Retrieved October 20, 2014 With 161,000 members, ACP is the largest ...

* Fellow of Brasenose College, Oxford * Lumleian and Croonian Lecturer at the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

* Chairman of the British Pharmacopeia Commission 1954-58 * Junior President of the Royal Medical Society (1925) *

Bisset Hawkins Medal The Bisset Hawkins Medal is a triennial award made by the Royal College of Physicians of London to acknowledge work done in the preceding ten years in advancing sanitary science or promoting public health. It is named after Francis Bisset Hawkins (1 ...

of the

, 1971 * First Chairman of the Royal Medical Society Trust (1979) * Honorary Fellowship in Dental Surgery * Director of Winthrop Laboratories

Family

In 1936 he married Marjorie Richardson, eldest daughter of Henry Edward Richardson WS. They had one son and one daughter. His grand-daughter Tessa Dunlop wrote the book ''To Romania With Love''.

Quotations

In relation to the thalidomide tragedy he said: "if experts are occasionally wrong they are less often wrong than non-experts ....nevertheless, we interfere with the prescribing doctor’s final freedom of decision at our peril in a free democracy".

Publications

* ''The Textbook of Medical Treatment'' (1939), co-written with Sir

Stanley Davidson Sir Leybourne Stanley Patrick Davidson (1894-1981) was a British physician, medical investigator and author who is well known for his medical textbook ''Principles and Practice of Medicine'', which was first published in 1952. Early life an ...

and Sir John McNee. * ''Clinical Chemistry in Practical Medicine'' (1954) was co-written with C P Stewart.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunlop, Derrick Melville 1902 births 1980 deaths 20th-century Scottish medical doctors Scottish pharmacologists Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Medical doctors from Edinburgh Scottish non-fiction writers People educated at Edinburgh Academy Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh Tuberculosis researchers Fellows of Brasenose College, Oxford Physicians of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh