Basil Mackenzie, 2nd Baron Amulree, (25 July 1900 – 15 December 1983), was a British physician and leading advocate of geriatric medicine in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Background and education

Amulree was born in South Kensington, London, England, the son of William Mackenzie, a barrister, and Lilian, daughter of W. H. Bradbury. He was educated at

Lancing College Lancing College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, private boarding school, boarding and day school) for pupils aged 13–18 in southern England, UK. The school is located in West S ...

and

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, commonly known as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and ...

. G. E. Cokayne, Vicary Gibbs, et al., ''

The Complete Peerage ''The Complete Peerage'' (full title: ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom Extant, Extinct, or Dormant''); first edition by George Edward Cokayne, Clarenceux King of Arms; 2nd edition re ...

'' (Gloucester: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume XIII, page 472

Career

Upon graduating Amulree joined the Ministry of Health, initially working on the delivery of cancer services, but then on what would become

geriatrics Geriatrics, or geriatric medicine, is a medical specialty focused on addressing the unique health needs of older adults. The term ''geriatrics'' originates from the Greek γέρων ''geron'' meaning "old man", and ιατρός ''iatros'' mean ...

. Amulree at the ministry,

J. H. Sheldon J, or j, is the tenth letter of the English alphabet. J may also refer to: * Palatal approximant in the International Phonetic Alphabet * J, Cyrillic letter Je Astronomy * J, a provisional designation prefix for some objects discovered bet ...

in Wolverhampton, Marjory Warren, Trevor Howell in Croydon and Oxford's

Lionel Cosin Lionel may refer to: Name *Lionel (given name) Places *Lionel, Lewis, a village in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland *Lionel Town, Jamaica, a settlement Brands and enterprises *Lionel, LLC, an American designer and importer of toy trains and model ra ...

were some of the founders of the Medical Society for the Care of the Elderly in 1947. In time, this would become the

British Geriatrics Society The British Geriatrics Society (BGS) is the professional body of specialists in the healthcare of older people in the United Kingdom. Membership is drawn from doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, researchers and others working in the fie ...

and Amulree would lead this until 1973. In 1929, Amulree's father was created Baron Amulree, and in 1942 he succeeded him in the barony, gaining a seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. In 1949 he become physician in charge of the geriatric department 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 Lo ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He was governor and president of a number of organisations including the

, the Society for the Study of Medical Ethics and the Association of Occupational Therapists. In the Lords he sat as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

and was a party Whip between 1955 and 1977. He spoke in the Lords on a variety of issues in relation to the care of the elderly.

Personal life

Amulree died on 15 December 1983, aged 83, unmarried. The barony became extinct on his death. According to James Lord, around 1948 he was having an affair with the art historian Douglas Cooper; when they parted, Cooper settled with John Richardson.James Lord, ''Picasso and Dora: a personal memoir'' (London:

Weidenfeld & Nicolson Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd (established 1949), often shortened to W&N or Weidenfeld, is a British publisher of fiction and reference books. It has been a division of the French-owned Orion Publishing Group since 1991. History George Weidenfeld ...

, 1993),

Arms

References

External links

Lord Amulree's Jacobite Collection at the University of Stirling Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amulree, Basil Mackenzie, 1st Baron 1900 births 1983 deaths People from South Kensington People educated at Lancing College 2 Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge English people of Scottish descent 20th-century English medical doctors Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Liberal Party (UK) hereditary peers LGBTQ peers LGBTQ physicians English LGBTQ politicians 20th-century British LGBTQ people