John Sebastian Bach Stopford, Baron Stopford of Fallowfield

KBE KBE may refer to: * Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, post-nominal letters * Knowledge-based engineering Knowledge-based engineering (KBE) is the application of knowledge-based systems technology to the domain o ...

FRCS Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional certification, professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an wikt:intercollegiate, ...

FRCP FRS (25 June 1888 – 6 March 1961) was a British peer, a

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

and

anatomist Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...

, and a

vice-chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...

of the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

. Lord Stopford was described as "one of the greatest anatomists of he 20thcentury".

Early life and education

Stopford was born in Hindley Green near

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...

, UK. The entry in the registry of births for Wigan, page 92 of volume 8c, 1888, records his birth name as John Sebastian B. Stopford, the son of Thomas Rinch Stopford, a colliery engineer, and his wife Mary (Tyrer) Stopford. He was educated at

Liverpool College Liverpool College is a coeducational day and boarding school in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, England. It was one of the thirteen founding members of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, Headmasters' Conference. History Liverpool Coll ...

and

Manchester Grammar School The Manchester Grammar School (MGS) is a highly Selective school, selective Private_schools_in_the_United_Kingdom, private day school for boys aged 7-18 in Manchester, England, which was founded in 1515 by Hugh Oldham (then Bishop of Exeter). ...

. He entered to

Manchester University The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

in 1906 to read

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

. He graduated with the degrees of

Bachelor of Medicine A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

(MB) and Bachelor of Surgery (ChB) in 1911 with honours.

Early career

Having graduated, Stopford went to

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...

Infirmary as a house surgeon, and then to Manchester Royal Infirmary as an assistant medical officer. In 1912, he returned to

as a Junior Demonstrator in

Anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...

, working under Prof.

Grafton Elliot Smith Sir Grafton Elliot Smith (15 August 1871 – 1 January 1937) was an Australian-British anatomist, Egyptologist and a proponent of the hyperdiffusionist view of prehistory. He believed in the idea that cultural innovations occur only once and ...

. He was later promoted to Senior Demonstrator, and received a lectureship in 1915. He also received the degree of

Doctor of Medicine A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...

(MD) in 1915 with a Gold Medal for a thesis on the supply of blood to the brain. From 1915 to 1918 during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he served as a

neurologist Neurology (from , "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 nervous system, which comprises the brain, the ...

alongside his lectureship in the military orthopaedic centres. This was firstly to the Second Western General Hospital and secondly to the Grangethorpe Hospital. He began researching sensation in the peripheral nerves during this time, on a budget from the Ministry of Pensions that obtained for ten years.

Career progression

At just 31 years of age, Stopford was promoted to be professor of anatomy at the

in 1919 as Prof. Grafton Elliot Smith had moved to

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 ...

. During his tenure as professor, he was dean of the medical school twice: between 1923 and 1927, and again between 1931 and 1933. He was also pro vice-chancellor at the

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

between 1928 and 1930. Stopford was appointed temporary

for six months in 1934 following the departure of Sir Walter Moberly. He made such a success of his time in the post that his appointment was made permanent, and he held it for a total of twenty-two years. He continued as professor of anatomy alongside his vice-chancellorship until 1938, when he was appointed to a personal chair in environmental

neurology Neurology (from , "string, nerve" and the suffix wikt:-logia, -logia, "study of") is the branch of specialty (medicine) , medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the nervous syst ...

. In 1947 he was appointed the first chairman of the Manchester Regional Hospital Board, which he served until 1953. He retired in 1956 and was made an

emeritus professor ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

Personal life

Stopford met Lily Allan while they were both

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education, usually in a college or university. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, ...

s at

. The couple were married in 1916 and they had one son, Thomas Stopford, who died in Rhos on Sea.

House of Lords

In 1958 he was nominated under the terms of Life Peerage Act by the Prime Minister to a receive letters patent, which duly arrived by 8 August. He was created Lord Stopford of Fallowfield and introduced on 10 March 1959 to the House of Lords to sit as a Crossbench peer. However during early retirement he had fallen ill. Lord Stopford never made a speech in the House, dying on 6 March 1961.

Other appointments

Stopford held a number of professional appointments during his lifetime, particularly in the field of healthcare within which he had particular experience. A selection of these appointments are below: * Chairman-elect, University Grants Committee - illness caused his resignation before he assumed office * Member,

General Medical Council The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of physician, medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the pu ...

* Chairman, Business Committee, GMC * Chairman, Universities Bureau of the British Empire * Vice-Chairman, Trustees of the Nuffield Foundation * Vice-Chairman, Nuffield Hospital Fund * Vice-Chairman, Interdepartmental Committee on Medical Schools * Deputy Chairman, Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals * Vice-President & Life Member, Anatomical Society * Member, Ministry of Health Advisory Committee on Distinction Awards for Consultants * Member, Council of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...

* Chairman, Manchester Regional Hospital Board * Chairman, Manchester Royal College of Music.

Honours

Stopford was made a Fellow of the Royal Society ( FRS) in 1927; the first medical graduate from

to receive such an accolade. He was also made Honorary Advisory Anatomist at Manchester Royal Infirmary. * 1920:

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) * 1927: Fellowship (FRS) -

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

* 1937: ScD -

University of Dublin The University of Dublin (), corporately named as The Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a research university located in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dublin, whi ...

* 1939: ScD -

University of Leeds The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed Y ...

* 1941:

Knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

* 1942: Honorary Fellowship (FRCP) -

* 1951: ScD -

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

* 1951; 1957: LLD and MA -

* 1953: LLD -

University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...

* 1955:

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(KBE) * 1955: Honorary Fellowship (FRCS) -

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations ...

* 1956: Freeman of

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

* 1957: DCL -

University of Durham Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charter in 1837. It was the first recognised university to ...

* 1958:

Life peerage In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

as Baron Stopford of Fallowfield, of Hindley Green in the

County Palatine of Lancaster Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

(created 8 August 1958)

The Stopford Building, University of Manchester

The Medical School (1972) was given the name of the Stopford Building in memory of Lord Stopford. It is on Oxford Road, on the corner of Ackers Street, and occupies a very large site. The former Medical Faculty Library housed within the building is now known as the Stopford Library: it is an outlying library of the John Rylands University Library.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stopford, John 1888 births 1961 deaths People educated at Manchester Grammar School Alumni of the University of Manchester 20th-century English medical doctors Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Fellows of the Royal Society Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Academics of the University of Manchester Vice-chancellors of the Victoria University of Manchester Stopford of Fallowfield British anatomists People educated at Liverpool College Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England People from Hindley, Greater Manchester Life peers created by Elizabeth II