OBITUARY
1
Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology 1982, 8, 160 OBITUARY Neville Sydney Fred Proctor 1922-1981 It is with great regret that the untimely death of Professor Neville Proctor is recorded. He died suddenly on 11 January 1981, at the age of 59. He was Professor of Anatomical Pathology and Honorary Professor of Neuropathology, in the School of Pathology of the South African Institute for Medical Research and the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Neville Proctor was born in Johannesburg and qualified MB ChB at the University of Witwatersrand in 1943. He won the prize for the best pathology student in 1940. During the second world war he served in the South African Medical Corps, and afterwards was lecturer in pathology at the University of Witwatersrand. He married Dr Linda Eybers in 1948. In 1952 he was awarded a Nuffield Dominion Fellow- ship in Medicine, and worked for 2 years with Dr Greenfield of the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases in London. He became an overseas member of the Neuropathology Club in 1953, and an Ordinary Member of the Society in 1971. On his return to South Africa he headed the newly formed Neuropathology Unit at the South African Institute. It was he who first introduced the use of the smear technique in neurosurgical biopsies in Johannesburg. His teaching of this technique, in which he was highly proficient, ensured its continued use at the Institute. Neville Proctor made many significant contributions in the field of neuropathology. He contributed a chapter in the standard text book, Pathology of Protozoal and Helminthic Diseases. He was active in research into parasitic diseases of the central nervous system, particularly on the role of Coenuris cerebralis, in the aetiology of hydrocephalus and the role of tapeworm cysts in causing central nervous system disease. He also worked on the Guillain- Barre syndrome and the neurological manifestations of porphyria. He described the occurrence of multiple sclerosis in South African born white patients, and with Professor J. Kaufmann he called attention to the occurrence of subacute sclerosing pan- encephalitis in South Africa. Among non- nervous diseases he described two cases of an unusual form of pneumonia, one of the first accounts of the condition now known as fibrosing alveolitis. He founded the National Ocular Tumour Registry, of which he was chairman for many years, and was a Vice President of the International Society of Neuropathologists. His reputation as a pathologist was inter- national, and led to invitations to spend prolonged periods as visiting Professor at several famous institutions in the United States. Neville Proctor was a brilliant diagnostician and a first class teacher. His clarity of presentation, laced with a fine sense of humour made his lectures extremely popular with both students and post- graduates. He was a kind and gentle man, and will be greatly missed as an outstanding pathologist, and remembered with respect and much affection by all who were privileged to know him. GILLIAN COLE 160
-
Upload
gillian-cole -
Category
Documents
-
view
212 -
download
0
Transcript of OBITUARY
Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology 1982, 8, 160
OBITUARY
Neville Sydney Fred Proctor 1922-1981
It is with great regret that the untimely death of Professor Neville Proctor is recorded. He died suddenly on 11 January 1981, at the age of 59. He was Professor of Anatomical Pathology and Honorary Professor of Neuropathology, in the School of Pathology of the South African Institute for Medical Research and the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Neville Proctor was born in Johannesburg and qualified MB ChB at the University of Witwatersrand in 1943. He won the prize for the best pathology student in 1940. During the second world war he served in the South African Medical Corps, and afterwards was lecturer in pathology at the University of Witwatersrand. He married Dr Linda Eybers in 1948. In 1952 he was awarded a Nuffield Dominion Fellow- ship in Medicine, and worked for 2 years with Dr Greenfield of the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases in London. He became an overseas member of the Neuropathology Club in 1953, and an Ordinary Member of the Society in 1971.
On his return to South Africa he headed the newly formed Neuropathology Unit at the South African Institute. It was he who first introduced the use of the smear technique in neurosurgical biopsies in Johannesburg. His teaching of this technique, in which he was highly proficient, ensured its continued use at the Institute. Neville Proctor made many significant contributions in the field of neuropathology. He contributed a chapter in the standard text
book, Pathology of Protozoal and Helminthic Diseases. He was active in research into parasitic diseases of the central nervous system, particularly on the role of Coenuris cerebralis, in the aetiology of hydrocephalus and the role of tapeworm cysts in causing central nervous system disease. He also worked on the Guillain- Barre syndrome and the neurological manifestations of porphyria. He described the occurrence of multiple sclerosis in South African born white patients, and with Professor J. Kaufmann he called attention to the occurrence of subacute sclerosing pan- encephalitis in South Africa. Among non- nervous diseases he described two cases of an unusual form of pneumonia, one of the first accounts of the condition now known as fibrosing alveolitis.
He founded the National Ocular Tumour Registry, of which he was chairman for many years, and was a Vice President of the International Society of Neuropathologists. His reputation as a pathologist was inter- national, and led to invitations to spend prolonged periods as visiting Professor at several famous institutions in the United States.
Neville Proctor was a brilliant diagnostician and a first class teacher. His clarity of presentation, laced with a fine sense of humour made his lectures extremely popular with both students and post- graduates. He was a kind and gentle man, and will be greatly missed as an outstanding pathologist, and remembered with respect and much affection by all who were privileged to know him.
GILLIAN COLE
160
