Professor Leslie Le Quesne, who has died aged 91, was a professor of surgery who looked beyond the operating theatre in a quest to improve the survival rate of patients undergoing major procedures.
Professor Leslie Le Quesne
He began this work in the 1960s, when surgeons were more concerned with techniques than outcomes. As Professor of Surgery at the Middlesex Hospital, Le Quesne found that surgeons too often declared operations to have been a great success (from a technical point of view), only for the patient to die.
Determined to address this contradiction, Le Quesne decided to investigate other factors that might affect survival rates. Nutritional fitness for surgery, and the body’s response to the surgical onslaught, for example, had hardly been addressed.
Under Le Quesne’s leadership a new generation of surgeons devoted itself to resolving these problems, particularly in the fields of electrolyte balance and hydration, as well as studying the response of the endocrine system.
Their work resulted in a series of papers delivered to the Surgical Research Society, which had been founded in 1954 by Le Quesne’s predecessor as head of surgery at the Middlesex, David Patey. The result was a great improvement in survival rates following major surgery, and was fundamental in the establishment of intensive care units, now a routine feature of all British hospitals, as it created a framework by which ICU doctors could monitor the health of their patients.
Leslie Philip Le Quesne was born in London on August 24 1919. His father was a prominent barrister, and his grandfather on his mother’s side was Sir Alfred Pearce Gould, Senior Surgeon at the Middlesex Hospital. Leslie was educated at Rugby and Exeter College, Oxford, and — passionate about all things naval — was determined to join the Navy. He was rejected, however, on account of his poor eyesight and in 1943 began clinical studies at the Middlesex, where he spent almost the whole of his professional life.
After qualifying as a surgeon in 1947 he undertook a number of registrar appointments in London and Southend, and studied in the United States before returning to the Middlesex to become assistant in the department of surgery and later Consultant Surgeon. Working under Patey, Le Quesne picked up many ideas which greatly influenced his own.
As well as being a skilful surgeon, especially in the gastric and biliary field, Le Quesne rapidly acquired a reputation as a research scientist. On Patey’s retirement in 1964, Le Quesne succeeded him to the headship of the department as Professor of Surgery.
Beyond pre- and post-surgical care, Le Quesne’s other great interest was in the diagnosis and prevention of deep vein thrombosis; the current use of elastic stockings to stimulate blood flow on long plane journeys arises directly from work carried out in his department at the Middlesex.
Such practical treatments stemmed from Le Quesne’s capacity to identify clinical problems, and inspire would-be surgeons to embark on research in the relevant area. Under his aegis, successful theses appeared in many publications, notably the British Journal of Surgery (he became chairman of its editorial board). He was also in demand as an examiner in Britain’s medical schools and was appointed to the Chair of the Court of Examiners of the Royal College of Surgeons. He was elected to Honorary Fellowships of the American and Australasian Colleges of Surgeons, and awarded the Sir Arthur Sims Travelling Scholarship, which involved lecturing and presenting research work throughout the Commonwealth.
Beyond surgery, Le Quesne was fascinated by the life of Lord Nelson, amassing a collection of Nelson portraits painted on glass (later the subject of a book), and lecturing widely on the surgical aspects of the wounds that led to Nelson’s death at Trafalgar.
After buying a cottage with a trout stream at Timewell, Devon, Le Quesne discovered that Nelson’s wife, Lady Frances, had spent the last few years of her life nearby at Littleham, near Exmouth. Further research revealed that her grave had fallen into disrepair, so Le Quesne joined a team of volunteers to ensure its restoration.
He was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at London University and, following his retirement from the Middlesex in 1984, director of the Commonwealth Scholarships organisation. He was eventually named Pro-Vice Chancellor, the first time that a professor of surgery had held the post.
He was appointed CBE in 1993.
A tall, commanding figure who inspired great respect, Le Quesne was a modest and generous man who enjoyed throwing barbecue parties in the garden at his house in London for students and junior staff from the Middlesex, as well as for colleagues from abroad. He also enjoyed sailing holidays in the Mediterranean.
In 1970 Le Quesne married Dr Pamela (“Paddy”) Fullerton, a neurologist with a special interest in the effect of industrial poisons on peripheral nerves. Much younger than her husband, she had always been realistic about the future, discussing with disarming frankness her inevitable widowhood. But in the 1990s she was found to have cancer, and died in 1999.
Leslie Le Quesne retired to a nearby flat, and later became a resident at The Charterhouse. The Middlesex Hospital and its medical school had been incorporated into University College, and his final achievement was to raise a large sum of money to found a visiting Middlesex lectureship in the Department of Medicine at University College Hospital, where he died on August 5. He is survived by two sons.
As well as being a skilful surgeon, especially in the gastric and biliary field, Le Quesne rapidly acquired a reputation as a research scientist. On Patey’s retirement in 1964, Le Quesne succeeded him to the headship of the department as Professor of Surgery.
Beyond pre- and post-surgical care, Le Quesne’s other great interest was in the diagnosis and prevention of deep vein thrombosis; the current use of elastic stockings to stimulate blood flow on long plane journeys arises directly from work carried out in his department at the Middlesex.
Such practical treatments stemmed from Le Quesne’s capacity to identify clinical problems, and inspire would-be surgeons to embark on research in the relevant area. Under his aegis, successful theses appeared in many publications, notably the British Journal of Surgery (he became chairman of its editorial board). He was also in demand as an examiner in Britain’s medical schools and was appointed to the Chair of the Court of Examiners of the Royal College of Surgeons. He was elected to Honorary Fellowships of the American and Australasian Colleges of Surgeons, and awarded the Sir Arthur Sims Travelling Scholarship, which involved lecturing and presenting research work throughout the Commonwealth.
Beyond surgery, Le Quesne was fascinated by the life of Lord Nelson, amassing a collection of Nelson portraits painted on glass (later the subject of a book), and lecturing widely on the surgical aspects of the wounds that led to Nelson’s death at Trafalgar.
After buying a cottage with a trout stream at Timewell, Devon, Le Quesne discovered that Nelson’s wife, Lady Frances, had spent the last few years of her life nearby at Littleham, near Exmouth. Further research revealed that her grave had fallen into disrepair, so Le Quesne joined a team of volunteers to ensure its restoration.
He was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at London University and, following his retirement from the Middlesex in 1984, director of the Commonwealth Scholarships organisation. He was eventually named Pro-Vice Chancellor, the first time that a professor of surgery had held the post.
He was appointed CBE in 1993.
A tall, commanding figure who inspired great respect, Le Quesne was a modest and generous man who enjoyed throwing barbecue parties in the garden at his house in London for students and junior staff from the Middlesex, as well as for colleagues from abroad. He also enjoyed sailing holidays in the Mediterranean.
In 1970 Le Quesne married Dr Pamela (“Paddy”) Fullerton, a neurologist with a special interest in the effect of industrial poisons on peripheral nerves. Much younger than her husband, she had always been realistic about the future, discussing with disarming frankness her inevitable widowhood. But in the 1990s she was found to have cancer, and died in 1999.
Leslie Le Quesne retired to a nearby flat, and later became a resident at The Charterhouse. The Middlesex Hospital and its medical school had been incorporated into University College, and his final achievement was to raise a large sum of money to found a visiting Middlesex lectureship in the Department of Medicine at University College Hospital, where he died on August 5. He is survived by two sons.
No comments:
Post a Comment