Sir Kenneth Calman Obituary

Sir Kenneth Calman was a doctor, nationalist servant and world leader whose personality arsenic a proud Scot underpinned his values of compassion, morals and difficult work. In nan 1970s, arsenic nan University of Glasgow’s first professor of oncology, Calman, who has died aged 83, group up networks of crab patients who could stock their acquisition of surviving pinch nan illness and its curen pinch chap sufferers and aesculapian practitioners. Later, arsenic main aesculapian serviceman for England, 1991-98, he advised nan UK authorities connected nan risks to quality wellness during nan bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) outbreak.

Demonstrating his accomplishment astatine handling contentious issues, from 2007 until 2009 Calman chaired nan Commission connected Scottish Devolution – known arsenic nan Calman committee – which had been group up by Scottish Labour and nan different number unionist parties successful nan Scottish parliament against guidance from nan ruling Scottish National party. Its report was published successful 2009, and its recommendations, described arsenic “significant but gentle room connected nan assemblage politic” by BBC Scotland’s governmental analogous Andrew Kerr, were mostly incorporated into nan Scotland Act of 2012.

After training successful transplant room successful Glasgow, from nan mid-1970s Calman shifted to crab medicine astatine a clip erstwhile much effective treatments were becoming available. He was besides influenced by nan activity of Dame Cicely Saunders connected palliative care. Convinced that a patient-centred attack to curen was essential, successful 1980 he group up nan Scottish kindness Tak Tent (Take Care, later Cancer Support Scotland), to springiness patients a sound successful their care.

His first foray into nationalist work came erstwhile he was appointed main aesculapian serviceman for Scotland, a station he held from 1989 until 1991. At nan clip Edinburgh had an unenviable estimation arsenic nan “Aids superior of Europe”. On his watch nan Lothian Health Board launched a “frank and fun” safe activity campaign, besides called Take Care, which was successful marked opposition to nan doomy Aids: Don’t Die of Ignorance run that ran successful England. Recognising that HIV successful Scotland was transmitted principally done intravenous supplier use, Scotland’s wellness authorities developed and expanded needle speech programmes.

Calman was instantly catapulted into nan aforesaid domiciled for England, based successful nan UK Department of Health (DoH), to win Sir Donald Acheson successful 1991. Like Acheson, Calman was concerned astir imaginable links betwixt BSE and nan quality encephalon upset known arsenic caller version Creutzfeldt-Jacob illness (nvCJD), but was falsely reassured by nan Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Maff) that nary bovine offal, specified arsenic spinal cord, was entering nan quality nutrient chain.

Both he and Acheson faced criticism successful nan study of nan consequent Phillips enquiry for making unwarranted statements astir nan information of British beef. But arsenic nan enquiry recognised, neither had been capable to make statements independently of officials successful some Maff and nan DoH, who were wished to play down thing that mightiness harm nan beef industry.

Reflecting connected his decade arsenic main aesculapian serviceman successful 2 countries, Calman later wryly wrote: “The CMO is efficaciously astatine nan caput of a aesculapian intelligence cognition and successful mentation should beryllium relied upon to person his aliases her digit connected nan beat of caller developments. In practice, this isn’t ever possible.”

Calman was calved successful nan Knightswood suburb of Glasgow, nan elder boy of Grace (nee Don) and Arthur Calman. His father, a mechanic pinch a textiles company, died of a bosom onslaught erstwhile Kenneth was nine, leaving his mother, who worked arsenic a secretary, to raise Kenneth and his brother, Norman. He later credited nan Knightswood room pinch feeding his thirst for learning. His precocious intelligence won him a spot astatine nan selective Allan Glen’s school, unfastened astatine a much-reduced interest to Glasgow boys who passed nan entranceway exam.

He past received a danasiwa to study medicine astatine nan University of Glasgow, receiving a grade successful biochemistry successful 1964 and qualifying successful medicine successful 1967. His connections pinch nan assemblage were lifelong. He held school and investigation posts successful room location until 1972, erstwhile he went to London to return up a investigation fellowship astatine nan Institute of Cancer Research’s Chester Beatty laboratories successful Chelsea.

He returned to Glasgow arsenic its first professor of oncology successful 1974, later becoming dean of postgraduate medicine and professor of postgraduate aesculapian education. He was a beardown advocator for nan arts successful medicine, for a nationalist wellness attack to nan training of doctors, and for nickname that societal inequalities are important determinants of sick health.

After his awesome nationalist work roles and a stint arsenic vice-chancellor and prison guard of nan University of Durham, successful 2006 he was elected chancellor of nan University of Glasgow, a position he held until 2020. During this clip he became a student again, crowning his lifelong emotion of nan lit of his state pinch a master’s successful Scottish lit and medicine successful 2012. A writer and writer of almost a twelve books, including Storytelling, Humour and Learning successful Medicine (2001) and an autobiography, It Started successful a Cupboard (2019), he chaired nan National Library of Scotland and was lawman chair of nan British Library. Among galore different honours, he was knighted successful 1996.

“Through learning I thief others” was nan translator of nan Latin motto connected Calman’s overgarment of arms. His dedication to knowledge was leavened by an impish consciousness of humour – though possibly he was not wholly joking erstwhile he told his authorities bosses that nan champion measurement to amended nan nation’s wellness would beryllium to reintroduce rationing.

His workfellow astatine Glasgow University Beverly Bergman said: “He was a delightful man whose gentle mode concealed a brilliant, all-encompassing mind.”

Calman met Ann Wilkie successful 1960 erstwhile they were some students, and they joined successful 1967. A erstwhile lawman headteacher, she survives him, on pinch their 3 children, Andrew, Lynn and Susan.