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but it was Cole’s dexterity which perfected the operation,and his lucid writings on the subject which brought itto the attention of surgeons and kept it in focus duringa phase of surgical development in which the use ofnon-absorbable suture material was at a discount. Hisvaluable work on plastic surgery is recorded in variousarticles on war wounds and injuries, the reparativesurgery of the uppr limb, and the surgery of the jaw andface. He blendel this knowledge and skill in plasticsurgery with an intimate understanding of the pathologyand treatment of malignant disease. ’ Cancer is indi-visible,’ was a favourite dictum, and he was a persistentadvocate of team-work. His opinion, planned treat-ment, and operative skill in cancer of the face, scalp, andmouth was of great value in an institution such as theRoyal Cancer Hospital where he continued with thiswork up to -a short time before his death. His lastcontribution to the literature, published three monthsago, concerned such a case. At the age of 70 he stillpossessed an active mind filled with original ideas basedon sound and logical pri ciples.

" His forthright statements and unwavering principlescaused him to be respected by all who worked with him.This fearless, honest, and single-minded approach to alldifficulties sometimes made his passage through lifeturbulent, but his sense of justice and tolerance won forhim a lasting admiration and affection."He is survived by the son and daughter of his first

marriage, and by his second wife, Dr. M. P. C. Greene.A memorial service is to be held at the Royal CancerHospital this Saturday, Oct. 30, at 11 A.M.

HENRY SMITH

C.I.E., M.D. R.U.I.

IN the early years of this century many ophthalmo-logists visited India to study Henry Smith’s work at his.hospital at Jullundur on the surgery of cataract extrac-tion, and in his monograph published in India in 1910Lieut.-Colonel Smith described his operation for intra-capsular extraction of the crystalline lens. After hisretirement he published a revised edition in 1928 whichset out the improvements he had devised on this originaltechnique.

Colonel Smith was born in Clogher, co. Tyrone, in1862, and was educated at Queen’s College, Galway, andthe Royal University of Ireland, where he graduated in

, medicine in 1888. Two years later he joined the IndianMedical Service, and he served in the Punjab until hisretirement.

In the 1914-18 war he was appointed consultingophthalmologist in Mesopotamia, and in 1921 he returnedto England and settled in Sidcup, where he continuedto write and practise. Accompanied by his son, Dr.Joseph Smith, he revisited India and later Dr. Barraquerin Spain. After his tour of the United States, where hewon honour, affection, and many followers, he re-editedhis book on cataract. With the graphic illustrations byDr. Derrick Vail, and mathematical considerations byhis son, it has become a classic. The ill health of hiswife and of his son, and their need of continuous carewhich he undertook, led him to return to his birthplacein Northern Ireland, where he died, on Feb. 29, in his86th year.One of his American friends writes : ’’ Colonel Smith

stood six foot four, mentally, physically, and morally.Big, handsome, and impressive, he possessed a wisesense of humour, a combative versatility, and a pair ofhands that were well-nigh perfect surgical instruments.As a practical anatomist he was convincingly logical,and his sensitiveness to tissue response was uncanny.These characteristics led him to find in his generalsurgery the conclusive argument for intracapsular ratherthan extracapsular extraction of the lens, and, with theutilisation of enormous material, to conquer both diffi-culty and opposition. He maintained that accidentaland traumatic expulsion of the lens in capsule had,willy-nilly, demonstrated that here as elsewhere, com-plete removal of diseased or useless tissue, where possible,is correct surgery. He sought and perfected a definitetechnique, and dismissed the objections of difficulty anddanger as fear and insufficient skill which time andpractice would banish.... His lifelong battle began

on the plains of India. This appreciation is born inthe new world. East and West pay tribute."

Colonel Smith married Miss H. D. Russell and theyhad two sons.

THE LATE DR. WESTERN

G. T. Western (known as " Daddy " or " Father " by

his friends of both sexes) was a remarkable character.At the London Hospital this was known only to hisintimate friends ; the life of a bacteriologist ’at themedical school of a big teaching hospital is apt to berather impersonal. But all his splendid qualities cameinto play at St. Hugh’s, the Military Hospital for HeadInjuries, to which he came from retirement in 1940 asa lieutenant aged 63. He became an institution, a manof whom many stories are still told by men who were atSt. Hugh’s. Everything that he undertook was donewith an unusual degree of competence. Although muchof his life was spent in London he was a man of thecountry, a craftsman steeped in country lore, which hehad matched with his practical knowledge of science andhis sense of business. He understood the ways of bees,how to keep oatmeal, where to buy the best saws, howto fe 1 trees, how to store apples, how to keep thebadgers from his hens, how to draw blood from thesmallest veins, and so on. His standards never

deviated. ’

At St. Hugh’s he ran his laboratory easily, conservingits staff from threats of posting with a morose and almostsavage effectiveness. He found time for many otherthings : he ran the Officers’ Mess with supreme efficiency,grew vegetables on its lawn, chopped its wood, andtended bees for the Mess and for various Oxford matrons.At this stage of his life, though he was still a highlycompetent bacteriologist, bees interested him more thanbacteria. He did the Mess shopping in a way thatgained the respect if not the approval of Oxford trades-men. Said one lady to a local shopkeeper, " Do youknow Major Western, the bee expert ? " " B— expert,"said the shopkeeper ruefully, " Yes, that’s just aboutwhat he is ! " He established a record for low cost-of-living in Officers’ Messes and imposed his rigorous way’of life-open windows, meagre fires, no black market, nosecond helpings-with unbending firmness upon a highlyindividualistic group of neurologists. To everyone he-was at times intimidating, with a short and very directcomment followed by a prolonged and penetrating,reproachful stare over the top of his spectacles. Severereprimands to all, regardless of rank, endeared him tojunior officers. All knew that his bark was worse thanhis bite, that he was the kindest, fairest, most unselfish,and most generous of men, ungrudging in his service tothem and to the hospital. This spartan life was part ofhis war against Hitler. He was an unbreakable rock,as could be felt by all in the bad days of 1940, andagain when he had news that his son’s cruiser had beensunk, followed, after a weekend of darkness, by a cablethat all was well. By his qualities and his work hecontributed greatly to the success of the hospital. Allat St. Hugh’s would hope that in his Heaven there is agarden with woodlands and fruit trees, well-stockedbeehives, a capacious tool-shed, and some fellowenthusiasts not as expert as himself.

H. c.

AppointmentsLyorrs, JOSEPH, M.B. Leeds, D.P.H.: M.O.H. and divisional M.D..

West Riding, Yorks.Colonial Service:

CACHIA, C., M.D., B.SC. : M.O., Kenya.DOUGLAS, E. S. M., L.R.C.P.E. : acting M.o., Jamaica.EGWUATU, S. 0., M.B. N.U.I. : M.O., Nigeria.LAVOIPIERRE, J. A. R., M.D. Paris, D.T.M., D.P.H. : deputy director

of medical services, Mauritius.LAYCOCK, H. T., M.A., M.B. Camb., F.R.C.S. : M.O. (surgical),

British Somaliland.O’MAHONEY, J. P., w.B. N.U.I.: chief M.o., Barbados.PAGE, H. G., o.B.E., m.i3. Edin., F.R.C.S., M.R.C.O.G. : surgeon

specialist, Grenada, Windward Islands.PEAT, A. A., M.B. Aberd. : director of medical services, Trinidad.STEVENS, C. E. E., M.B. Belf., F.R.c.s.E.: superintendent,

Cunningham Hospital, St. Christopher-Nevis.STOBBS, J. E., 3,i.B. Durh. : M.o., Nigeria.STRISIVER, E. V., M.D. Berlin : M.o., special grade, Siera Leone.ToMLINSOrr, C. H., M.B. Edin. : radiologist, medical department,

Jamaica.