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Reading the obituary of Dr James Innes (BMJ 2010; 340: c1548), I
recalled the ward rounds at the old R.I.E. where he was sub-chief to A Rae
Gilchrist in the mid 1950s. We were students, fresh from the 2nd
Professional examination - our first junior medicine attachment. I was
overwhelmed by his knowledge of anatomy - particularly for a Physician !!
( The arrogance of youth ). He brought it into every case discussion and
made anatomy central to clinical diagnosis. It was the plank of my
practice for 50 years, and I thank him for it. Things are a bit different
now, when anatomy is no longer taught at an undergraduate level. It is
our future colleagues' loss.
Additional note
Reading the obituary of Dr James Innes (BMJ 2010; 340: c1548), I
recalled the ward rounds at the old R.I.E. where he was sub-chief to A Rae
Gilchrist in the mid 1950s. We were students, fresh from the 2nd
Professional examination - our first junior medicine attachment. I was
overwhelmed by his knowledge of anatomy - particularly for a Physician !!
( The arrogance of youth ). He brought it into every case discussion and
made anatomy central to clinical diagnosis. It was the plank of my
practice for 50 years, and I thank him for it. Things are a bit different
now, when anatomy is no longer taught at an undergraduate level. It is
our future colleagues' loss.
Edward Alan Shaw MB Edin 1958
Competing interests: No competing interests