Royal College of Physicians Oral History Collection Interview Summary Sheet Title Page Ref. No.: Collection title: Voices of Medicine Interviewee’s surname: Singh Title: Dr Interviewee’s forenames: Shyam Sex: M Occupation: Consultant Cardiologist Date of birth: 1932 Mother’s occupation: Indian nobility Father’s occupation: Indian nobility / Landlord Date(s) of recording, Compact Flash used, tracks [from – to]: 2.2.16 and 9.2.16 Locations of interview: Interviewee’s house, Birmingham Name of interviewer: Dr David Young Type of recorder: Zoom H5 Total no. of tracks: 5 Recording Format: Wav 24bit 48khz Mono or stereo: Stereo [1-5] Total Duration: (HH:MM:SS) 03:14:12 Additional material: Photographs of Dr Singh in file Copyright/Clearance: Yes Interviewer’s comments: Please note that timestamps may refer to the end of the time period of the topic under discussion. For the start of the topic you need to refer to the timestamp for the topic before. Summary: Dr Singh was born in 1932 into a wealthy Indian family. His father was the son of a maharaja and had an estate of 7 villages. His father directed Dr Singh to study medicine and after qualification paid for him to come to the UK to get the MRCP. Whilst in Medical School Dr Singh met Prof Sir Max Rosenheim, who subsequently helped Dr Singh get his first post in the UK. They had a more significant meeting in the MRCP examination. After deciding to be a cardiologist Dr Singh’s career was helped by Prof Melville Arnott and Prof Pon d’Abru. They helped him obtain a Fellowship at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital where he learnt left heart catheterisation, and coronary angiography, already being able to perform right heart catheterisation. He obtained a consultant post in adult and paediatric cardiology in 1967. Then followed a year’s sabbatical at the Mayo Clinic and the Karolinska Institute. Work at the Children’s Hospital produced three innovations, atrial septostomy and the prostaglandin E for cyanotic babies and beta blockers in Fallot’s Tetralogy. Track 4 is an account of Dr Singh’s activities and innovations whilst a consultant. The final track is a series of stories including meetings with Enoch Powell Highlights of interview: Meeting with Prof Sir Max Rosenheim at King George’s Medical School in India Assistance given to promote Dr Singh’s career by Sir Max Rosenheim, Prof Melville Arnott, Prof Pon d’Abru Visits to America twice and Karolinska Institute Innovations in cardiology balloon septotomy, Prostaglandin E, prevent rupture of myocardium Raising money for cardiology at Children’s Hospital and DRH Chancellor’s Award of Excellence Topics Time Track one [00:30:17] Session one [15.2.16] Introduction 00:00 DOB where born 00:20 Father 02:20 Maharaja 03:40 Father more details title ‘Rai Sahib’ 04:00 Brothers and sisters 05:25 Dr Singh’s children 06:50 Schooling 09:35 Lonely childhood led to studying 12:05 Mystery of Franklin D Roosevelt’s death 12:45 School, Lucknow 13:40 Typhoid Fever 14:00 A levels 15:05 Choice of a medical career King George’s Medical College 15:20 Physiology teacher 18:50 Medical and surgical teaching 19:55 Prof Sir Max Rosenheim story of Prof Rosenheim’s invitation 20:45 Meeting Prof Rosenheim in the MRCP exam 26:05 Rosenheim’s help and 1st job 26:30 House Officer jobs in India 28:40 Father’s support for visit to England 29:25 End 30:15 Track two [01:11:00] Session one [15.2.16] Reason for coming to England in 1956 00:00 Visit to Prof M Rosenheim 01:10 Nature of 1st pre-registration House Officer post at Stamford 01:31 Dislike of English food 02:58 Further memories of 1st job in UK 04:50 2nd House Officer post 09:15 Developed a rash 10:11 Senior House Officer post University College Hospital and Whittington 11:25 support of Prof Rosenheim MRCP London and Edinburgh 13:30 Registrar post Aylesbury and Stoke Mandeville 20:15 Neglect of elderly patients 23:15 Addenbrookes Cambridge Consultant helped him get a cardiology 23:30 post in Birmingham Registrar in Cardiology and General Medicine General Hospital 25:45 Birmingham Why a cardiologist 27:15 Memories of the General Hospital 27:50 Treatments for cardiology patients 31:20 Learning right heart catheterization 32:55 Story of support from Prof d’Abru 33:50 Fellow at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital 37:20 Left heart catheterisations 37:43 1st coronary angiogram 1964 38:20 American approach to medicine 39:10 Travelling in America 43:35 Racial discrimination 44:05 Decision not to go back to India 1959 46:15 Publications whilst in USA 48:00 Why he returned to UK 49:30 A mistaken in returning from USA 51:15 Difficulty in getting a Senior Registrar post 52:15 Getting SR job in paediatrics and adult cardiology 1964 55:00 Assistant Physician to North West Metropolitan Board 1963/64 58:00 Comment on SR post 61:05 Any discrimination in the UK? 63:20 Reflection on time as a junior doctor 64:15 Consultant Cardiology post 1967 64:40 Cardiac Catherisation 67:10 End 71:00 Track 3 [00:32:07] Session one [15.2.16] Memorable patient in the USA 00:20 American ignorance of the term ‘stone’ for weight 01:45 Other memorable patients 03:15 Relationships with other grades of staff 06:40 Equipment required for cardiology in 1967 07:15 Sabbatical at Mayo Clinic 09:35 Why a sabbatical just after consultant appointment 15.45 Sabbatical at Karolinska Institute Stockholm 16.25 Atrial septostomy pioneer 17:40 Introduction of prostaglandin E for cyanotic babies 19:37 Publication on Fallot’s Tetology and beta blockers 23:03 Hammersmith Hospital for one month 24:10 Took up consultant post July 1968 25:20 Challenges on taking up post 26:50 Coronary Care Unit 30:20 End 32:07 Track 4 [00:47:05] Session two [16.2.16] Introduction 00:00 Work at Dudley Road Hospital (now City Hospital) 00:19 Little research in hospital 01:00 Poor management of patients with heart attacks 01:34 Work at Children’s’ Hospital 04:37 Balloon or atrial septostomy 06:37 Use of prostaglandin E for same babies 10:58 Innovation in angiography 12:37 Treatment of myocardial rupture 14:57 Common condition seen in children – ventricular septal defect 17:14 Change in incidence of congenital heart disease 18:03 Increased in Muslim population Coarctation of Aorta 19:40 Pulmonary stenosis and valvuloplasty 24:47 Fallot’s Tetralogy Glucagon in Myocardial Infarction 28:17 Vit C in Acute Myocardial Infarction 30:00 Why the interest in research 30:38 Work or ethnic minorities prevention of coronary artery disease calorie 32:20 restriction is important Radio broadcasts to Asian community 35:40 Support of overseas doctors in training 36:53 Funding for a nurse to help with Asian patients with heart disease 38:03 Raising money for Children’s’ Hospital and Dudley Road Hospital 39:07 Support given to doctors in training 41:50 Over all reflection on his career 45:45 End 47:05 Track 5 [00:13:50] Session two [16.2.16] Note: This track is a compilation of unrelated contributions Introduction 00:00 1.Chancellor’s Award for Excellence 00:30 2. 1st Asian examiner for MRCP examination 02:40 3. Further account of father and sisters 05:30 4. 1st Asian Consultant in NHS 08:10 5. Did you have any racial problems 09:44 6. Meeting with Enoch Powell 10:00 7. Further point on being the first Asian consultant 12:40 End 13:50 .