OBITUARIES

Ameyo Adadevoh Physician and endocrinologist who was instrumental in containing the epidemic in Nigeria

Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, endocrinologist (b 1956; by many to be one of the fo­unders of Nigerian q 1980 University of College of Medicine), nationalism. Her mother was a descendant of died from Ebola virus disease on 19 August 2014. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria’s first president.

On 20 October 2014, the World Health Organi- Loyal to her country zation declared Nigeria free of Ebola. Nigeria Adadevoh spent most of her childhood in Lagos, witnessed just 20 cases of the disease, includ- apart from two years in Massachusetts while her ing eight deaths. As in the rest of west Africa, the father undertook a fellowship at Harvard Uni- death toll was high among healthcare workers, versity. She studied medicine at the University and it included Ameyo Adadevoh—one of the of Lagos College of Medicine, and in 1983 her doctors who treated the country’s index case of career began with a residency at Lagos University Ebola. Teaching Hospital. She performed house jobs at In a long article on its website, WHO praised the hospital until 1988. In 1991 she became a the many public officials whose hard work consultant at Lagos University Teaching Hospital, ensured that this devastating disease did not and from 1991 to 1993 she undertook a fellow- affect Nigeria as badly as neighbouring Sierra ship in endocrinology at Hammersmith Hospital Leone, Guinea, and .1 Although Adade- in London. In 1986 she married Afolabi Emma- voh’s name was not mentioned in the report, she nuel Cardoso, and the couple had one son. has been widely credited with ensuring that the After returning to Nigeria Adadevoh worked disease was contained in the sprawling city of at the First Consultant Hospital for 21 years, Lagos. eventually becoming lead physician. Although Jeffrey Hawkins, the US consul general in Nige- this meant she did not have to treat patients, she ria, said at the beginning of the outbreak in July: Ameyo Adadevoh was perhaps one enjoyed being a hands-on doctor—even taking “The last thing anyone in the world wants to hear of the few who would have been able calls from patients when visiting relatives abroad. is the two words ‘Ebola’ and ‘Lagos’ in the same to withstand the pressure of the first She paid for her patients’ medication if they sentence,” as it conjures up images of an “apoca- few days of the Ebola crisis could not afford to do so, and conducted home lyptic urban outbreak.” visits in her own time. She was a committed At the end of July 2014 Adadevoh was the demands, realising the implications of letting a Christian but was sensitive to all faiths and would lead physician and endocrinologist at the First patient with suspected Ebola infection into the ensure that patients who were unable to attend Consultant Medical Centre in Lagos when Pat- community. religious services while in hospital could continue rick Sawyer was admitted with what looked like Despite being one of Nigeria’s better hospitals, to practise their faiths. malaria. Sawyer, a Liberian-American lawyer, the First Consultant was not equipped to deal Adadevoh was a patriot and ignored her sib- had travelled to Nigeria from Liberia to attend a with the virus. The hospital had no personal lings’ pleas to leave and work in the relative com- conference when he collapsed at the airport. Ordi- protection equipment, and for the first 48 hours fort of the US or Europe. narily he would have been seen at a government Sawyer was not treated as an infection risk. Once “It’s so painful that the health system she dedi- hospital, but a strike by medical staff meant they Ebola was suspected, Adadevoh and her staff cated her life to was the one that killed her,” says were closed. He came to First Consultant, which were forced to improvise, putting a wooden bar- her niece, Niniola Soleye. was a private hospital. rier outside Sawyer’s door. Staff did not know Her strong character meant that she was per- Adadevoh saw Sawyer the day after his admis- how to treat patients with Ebola, so Adadevoh haps one of the few who would have been able sion. She suspected he might have Ebola— went online to download information to distrib- to withstand the pressure of those first few days although he denied that he had been in contact ute to doctors and nurses. She knew that isolation of the Ebola crisis. In a tribute, Chidi Anselm with anyone infected with the virus. She con- was the best place for her patient, but this was Odinkalu, chairman of Nigeria’s National tacted the Nigerian Ministry of Health and tried not available. Human Rights Commission and a longstanding to create an isolation area in the hospital, despite Sawyer died on 25 July, and Adadevoh was patient, says the consequences would have been having no protective equipment. This was not the diagnosed as having the disease a few weeks “unfathomable” if Patrick Sawyer had been first time that Adadevoh spotted the beginnings of later. Her care was rudimentary, and her family initially­ sent to a general hospital. 2 an epidemic—in 2012 she was the first in Nigeria called a press conference urging the US govern- “It required someone with her capabilities and to treat a patient with the H1N1 virus, and duly ment to send samples of the experimental drug pedigree to be able to take the measures needed alerted the authorities. ZMapp to treat her. to firewall Mr Sawyer and limit the contamination Sawyer was desperate to be discharged, and Adadevoh was born in Lagos to Babatunde that he would have inflicted,” he wrote. he put a lot of pressure on Adadevoh, with the Kwaku Adadevoh, a physician and former vice Anne Gulland, London Liberian ambassador to Nigeria accusing the hos- chancellor of the University of Lagos, and Debo- [email protected] pital of kidnapping. But Adadevoh—a formidable rah Regina McIntosh, both scions of Nigerian References are in the version on thebmj.com. doctor who was known among colleagues as the nationalist families. Adadevoh was the great Cite this as: BMJ 2014;349:g7558 “first lady” of the hospital—would not bow to his granddaughter of Herbert Macaulay, considered ЖЖANALYSIS, p 15 the bmj | 7 February 2015 25 OBITUARIES

Ireland, and set up as a singlehanded held a similar post in Stoke on Trent. William Fowler Felton general practitioner in the village of Rodney Lloyd Herbert Having returned to hospital medicine Doneraile, where he worked until he at Lincoln County Hospital, he retired in 2011. He spent much time specialised in anaesthetics. In 1960 on the farm attached to the house he was appointed as senior registrar and was introduced to horses by his at Newcastle General Hospital and current partner, Emer Ramsden. Miles then consultant in anaesthetics in was laid low by severe sarcoidosis 1964. Having been promoted to in the mid 90s and subsequently deputy head of anaesthetics in 1980 developed both rectal and urothelial and head of department in 1984, Former consultant venereologist carcinomas in the 90s. The bladder General practitioner Chingford he retired in 1988. He enjoyed a Royal Sussex County Hospital and cancer metastasised in 2012, but he (b 1940; q Leeds 1963), died from long and quiet retirement and leaves St Thomas’ Hospital (b 1918; outlived his prognosis and remained pulmonary fibrosis on a widow, two children, and five q Cambridge/London 1941; MA, relatively well and active. He leaves 30 September 2014. grandchildren. DPH, DIH), d 30 August 2014. Emer and Frances; four sons; his Rodney Lloyd Herbert was a founder Elaine Jackson William Fowler Felton (“Bill”) was brother; six grandchildren; and member of the North East London Cite this as: BMJ 2014;349:g7663 the doctor we would all like to have extended family. Accident Unit and the Resuscitation been. Parachuted into Greece with Conor Ramsden Council UK, gave emergency medical Ronald Charles King the Special Operations Executive in Cite this as: BMJ 2014;349:g7664 assistance at thousands of road 1943, his service was recognised traffic crashes, and attended many by the award of Knight of the Royal Cyril William Holmes serious disasters (the Moorgate Order of George I of Hellenes (with tube accident and the Marchioness swords). A postwar stint as medical Havard pleasure boat disaster, for example). officer at Sellafield was followed as Over the years he taught at Whipps managing director of major British Cross Hospital and at his clinic. companies, including Ronuk Polishes He lectured internationally on and Hallmark Cards. Bill retrained immediate care schemes, wrote as a venereologist in 1969, and numerous articles, and was involved Consultant physician and his abiding interest in gonorrhoea in the making of a film of emergency postgraduate dean for South resulted in definitive publications on medicine that won a silver award. East Thames Region (b 1924; its transmission. He was Master of the A regular medical attendant at the q St Bartholomew’s Hospital Worshipful Company of Carpenters Emeritus consultant endocrinologist London Marathon, in 1990 Rodney 1947; MD, FRCP), died from and an enthusiastic sailor, beagler, Royal Free Hospital, London Herbert saved a man’s life after he Alzheimer’s disease on and mountaineer. He leaves Felicity (b 1925; q Oxford/Barts 1952; MA, had a heart attack just yards from the 4 October 2014. (Fizzy), his wife of 69 years; five DM Oxon, FRCP Lond), died from finish line. He leaves his wife, Linda; As an instructor at the University children; and many grandchildren septicaemia secondary to subacute and three children. Hospital, Ann Arbor, USA, Ronald and great grandchildren. bacterial endocarditis on Daryl Herbert Charles King (“Ronnie”) was present David Barlow 11 November 2014. Cite this as: BMJ 2014;349:g7662 when a flexible glass gastroscope Cite this as: BMJ 2014;349:g7661 Cyril William Holmes Havard (“Bill”) was first used to visualise the interior was the clinical tutor at Barts before James Douglas Hunter of the duodenum. Appointed a Robert Miles Frankel consultant appointments at the consultant in general medicine at the Royal Free and Royal Northern Consultant anaesthetist (b 1926; Kent and Sussex Hospital, Tunbridge hospitals. He wrote numerous q Marischal College, Aberdeen, Wells, he founded an intensive standard textbooks, was editor of 1949; FRCA), d 27 November 2014. care unit and the postgraduate Black’s Medical Dictionary, sat on the James Douglas Hunter served as a centre. Later he became involved in editorial board of Hospital Medicine, houseman at Stracathro Hospital, local, regional, and college health and was vice dean of the Royal Free Angus, for six months before management. He was appointed Medical School. He was chairman being called to national service. postgraduate dean for the Southeast of the European Thyroid Club and He joined the medical wing of the Thames Region, assistant director in charge of the endocrine clinic at Royal Air Force and was based at of the British Postgraduate Medical Former general practitioner (b 1944; the Royal Free. While at the Royal RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. Federation, and helped create the q 1967), d 4 November 2014. Northern, he directed the clinical He moved to Horncastle in 1953, Joint Centre for Educational Research Robert Miles Frankel did his house pharmacology unit from 1966 to working as an assistant GP, and then and Development in Medicine. jobs at Poplar Hospital for Accidents 1990. He used to examine for the Ronnie believed that the appropriate in London’s Docklands, an area he University of London and the Royal introduction of humour softened always declared was the best training College of Physicians and was a the more serious side of medicine. ground he could have hoped for. college censor from 1983 to 1985. He leaves his wife, four children, Having spent time in Newfoundland, Bill leaves four children; a stepson; 12 grandchildren, and four great Paris, and Papua New Guinea, and eight grandchildren. grandchildren. in 1973 he acquired a Georgian John Havard David King property in rural north County Cork, Cite this as: BMJ 2014;349:g7665 Cite this as: BMJ 2014;349:g7514

26 7 February 2015 | the bmj