William Stewart Hillis Pioneer in Sports Science, and Doctor to the Scottish Football Team
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
OBITUARIES William Stewart Hillis Pioneer in sports science, and doctor to the Scottish football team Emeritus professor in cardiology and sport two European championships, and by the time and exercise medicine (b 1943; q Glasgow of his retirement in 2012 he had provided medi University, 1967; OBE, FRCPS Glas), died cal care at 228 international matches, a world from mesothelioma on 21 July 2014. record for a team doctor. Since 1990 he had been vice chairman of the Union of European Football Stewart Hillis had been actively involved in the Associations (UEFA) medical committee, and preparation for the 2014 Commonwealth Games he was the lead of the antidoping programme in Glasgow. He was diagnosed as having mesothe for the SFA, and tournament medical and anti lioma in May and continued to work till midJune. doping organiser for UEFA and the International He died two days before the opening ceremony. Federation of Association Football (FIFA). He lob Stewart was born in Clydebank, the son of a bied successfully for a sports medicine centre at foreman at John Brown’s shipyard, two years Hampden Park, where he introduced antidoping after the town was devastated in the Blitz during checks and cardiac screening and assessments the second world war. He was educated in of young athletes. The latter was funded initially C ly debank and at Glasgow University. by the Scottish government, and the success has During his early postgraduate training with resulted in their continued funding. The deploy Gavin Shaw, he became interested in cardiology ment of defibrillators in sports centres and and in 1971 was appointed registrar in the Uni s tadiums was another initiative he pioneered. versity of Glasgow’s cardiology department with He started the MSc and BSc degrees in sports Professor T D V Lawrie. His career progressed the current cardiology consultant workforce in and exercise medicine in 1995 and remained rapidly. He showed considerable talent in invasive Scotland and beyond. course director until 2012. Stewart had a special investigations, and that became a distinguishing His contribution to the subject of adult congeni interest in cardiovascular screening, working feature of his career. After spending a year at Van tal heart disease was remarkable in that he was with the Scottish government to lead the Cardiac derbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, he was in his 50s when he took on this daunting chal Assessment in Young Athletes (CAYA) programme. appointed consultant cardiologist to Glasgow’s lenge. Many patients had undergone lifesaving He was in Cardiff in 1985, when Jock Stein— Stobhill Hospital in 1977. It was there that he operations as children and had other health and the Scotland manager—collapsed and died. began pivotal studies in relation to intracoronary learning challenges, as well having to make the S cotland qualified for the Mexico World Cup in and intravenous thrombolysis. He converted the difficult transition from the protected environment 1986. St ewart worked with the new manager, Alex back area of the critical of a children’s hospital to Ferguson, and they became close friends. Sir Alex William Stewart Hillis used care unit into a coronary the less personal adult delivered a tribute at Stewart’s memorial service. angiographic facility humour—usually directed hospital. They were, in a Scotland’s current manager, Gordon Strachan, and set up a 24/7 service against himself—to great effect sense, lost, and their par said “He was great company and was hugely that allowed assessment and received many invitations ents also felt lost. Stewart respected in his job. There’s nothing more you of artery patency after throughout Scotland to speak on had run the service at can ask of your team doctor, but ‘the Prof’ always thrombolytic therapy. This his sports medicine experiences Y orkhill Hospital and then lit up the room with his personality.” work contributed substan led the initiative to form a In 2008 Stewart was awarded the prestig tially to the understanding of thrombolysis and national adult congenital heart disease service at ious Sir Robert Atkin prize by the Institute of was the groundwork for the beneficial use of these the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank. Sports and Exercise Medicine. He was awarded agents in acute myocardial infarction. In 2010 he became a senior research fellow the 2014 Sir Roger Bannister Award for out In 1982 Stewart was appointed to the post of and emeritus professor, and was awarded the standing contributions to sport and exercise senior lecturer in the University of Glasgow’s OBE for services to cardiology, and sport and medicine. Stewart learnt of this award, which Department of Materia Medica, although he exercise medicine. delighted him, shortly before his death. continued his full time commitment as a con Football is a national obsession in Scotland, Stewart was an enthusiast in all that he did sultant cardiologist. He subsequently became and this provided the opportunity for Stewart and had anecdotes on his many activities. He a reader and was awarded a personal chair in Hillis to develop sports medicine and science. had a deep faith and was a long serving elder cardiovascular and exercise medicine in 1997. His understanding of the benefits of exercise in and on occasion a lay preacher in Abbotsford He served the Royal College of Physicians and the prevention and treatment of disease predated Church in Clydebank. He recently chaired and Surgeons of Glasgow well as an examiner and the general acceptance of physical inactivity as convened the committee that appointed a min organiser of educational events. a risk factor. Stewart combined the promotion of ister for newly linked parishes. A great supporter Most cardiologists have one subspecialist activity medically with being team doctor for 27 of youth development in the church, he was interest. Stewart Hillis had several: interven years at Clydebank Football Club, and for one c aptain of the boys’ brigade for many years. tion, academic research, clinical pharmacol year with Rangers. He became medical consult He leaves his wife, Anne; three sons; and a ogy, exercise and sports medicine, and adult ant with the Scottish Football Association (SFA) daughter. congenital heart disease. He was a gifted in 1977, and the international team doctor in Stuart Murray, John MacLean, Frank Dunn teacher and trained a considerable number of 1982. He attended three World Cup finals and Cite this as: BMJ 2014;349:g5158 the bmj | 11 October 2014 25 OBITUARIES Edge and Middlewood hospitals. consultant at the Western General Ian Gibb Bogle Finally he worked at Nether Edge Hospital in Edinburgh. He served on and the Royal Hallamshire hospitals, various committees and, in 1993, retiring in1992. Having worked as a was appointed the first medical police surgeon in Sheffield for many director of the hospital. As one of the years, he also served as chairman principal architects of the hospital’s of Nether Edge Hospital’s medical successful application for trust status, committee and Trent Regional Health John’s partnership with the CEO, John Authority, and was president and past he developed the procedure of Connachan, helped the Western chairman of the British Association fetoscopy, which contributed to a General to thrive before he retired in General practitioner and medical for Services to the Elderly. Rodgers greatly enhanced understanding of 1998. John leaves his wife, Joyce; two politician (b 1938; q Liverpool 1961; played cricket into his 60s and golf the association between raised AFP children; and six grandchildren. CBE, MD, FRCGP), d 21 June 2014. into his late 70s. Predeceased by his in amniotic fluid and open fetal spina Mike Scrimgeour Ian Gibb Bogle was brought up and wife, Shelagh, in 2013, he leaves three bifida. In 1973 John was appointed Cite this as: BMJ 2014;349:g5627 educated in Liverpool, where he children. worked as a GP. A fellow of the BMA, he Lesley Baker was awarded the BMA Gold Medal for Cite this as: BMJ 2014;349:g5625 Desmond Gerard Taylor John Desmond Taylor distinguished merit in 2004. Active in local and national medical politics, he Peter Alan Dupont was elected to Liverpool’s local medical committee in July 1969 and became Former consultant surgeon (b 1938; its secretary in May 1973, a position q St Mary’s Hospital Medical School he held until September 1990. From 1963; FRCS), d 31 July 2014. April 1979 to 1981 he was also the Peter Alan Dupont was fluent committee’s vice chair, was active in French, having been born in in numerous other committees, and France in 1938, and having lived in Former consultant Former consultant in transplant was elected chairman of BMA Council francophone west Africa. His mother cardiothoracic surgeon surgery Guy’s Hospital, in 1998. He was awarded a CBE for died when he was a small child, (b 1925; q Queen’s University London (b 1953; q Guy’s Hospital services to the medical profession in and he had to return to family in the Belfast 1948; FRCS), died from Medical School 1977; MD, FRCS), June 2003. During his entire career, UK, completing his education in a haemopericardium secondary died from mesothelioma on 24 he fought to improve general practice, Colchester before entering St Mary’s. to ruptured aneurysm of the June 2014. equality of access to services, and the He did his house jobs at St Mary’s and thoracic aorta on 30 March John Desmond Taylor studied standard of care delivered to patients. King Edward’s hospitals before doing 2014. medicine at Cambridge and Guy’s, He leaves his wife, Julie; two daughters; his surgical training. He collected his Desmond Gerard Taylor became a where as a child he attended the three grandchildren; and one great certificate of higher surgical training consultant cardiothoracic surgeon wards with his father, a cardiac grandchild.