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Ronald McRae (1926 -2012)

Discussion in 'United Kingdom' started by Cameron, Apr 25, 2012.

  1. Cameron

    Cameron Well-Known Member


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    Ronald McRae, consultant orthopaedic surgeon and author of medical textbooks died recently aged 85. Many graduates at the Glasgow School of Chiropody (myself included) will have known him personally and had the privilage of attending his brilliant anatomy lectures. Others, I am sure have read or at least referred to his pocketbook, Clinical Orthopaedic Examination. Thoughts go to his wife and family.

    toeslayer

    Ronald McRae was an Ayrshire man, he grew up in Maybole where his father was a local policeman. He was a prize-winning pupil at the town's Carrick Academy and went on to study medicine at Glasgow University, graduating in 1949.

    He served as a commissioned medical officer in the RAF, working mostly in Ely, Cambridgeshire, where he started specialising in orthopaedics. There he treated service personnel, many of them transferred from the Middle East for treatment, and local civilians.

    When he left the Armed Forces he returned to Scotland, working in all the main hospitals in Glasgow and eventually being appointed consultant orthopaedic surgeon at the city's Southern General. The hospital was the first in Scotland to carry out hip replacement surgery – with Ronald McRae helping to lead the way.

    He was also involved at the sharp end of the hospital's work, treating accident victims from the local shipyards and the construction of the Clyde Tunnel. His skills were put to the test in 1971 when he carried out surgery on some of those injured in the Ibrox Disaster.

    It was while working at the Southern that he became a lecturer in anatomy at the Glasgow School of Chiropody. His groundbreaking teaching methods earned him an Honorary Fellowship of the Society of Chiropodists.

    Later Mr McRae was charged with the responsibility of setting up an orthopaedic teaching programme for medical students. As part of this he prepared scores of handout notes for the undergraduates.

    The notes, which also contained detailed hand-drawn illustrations, had to be copied, pinned together and distributed to each new set of students. In a bid to make the job easier, he approached medical publishers Churchill Livingstone with a view to them printing the notes in book form.

    With their enthusiastic agreement, the notes were expanded, 600 illustrations were drawn and the resultant book was published. The pocketbook, Clinical Orthopaedic Examination, has remained in print ever since. It is now in its fifth edition and has been translated into French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese and Farsi.
    Mr McRae, who was recognised as a leader in his field, went on to have similar success with a second handbook, Practical Fracture Treatment. Several more publications followed, including Practical Surgical Exposures, which took eight years to prepare.

    Later he co-authored (with Andrew Kinninmonth) An Illustrated Colour Text of Orthopaedics and Trauma. Mr McRae's last published work was The Pocketbook of Orthopaedics and Fractures, generally recognised as required reading for any self-respecting young casualty doctor.

    Mr McRae, who had been ill for some time, is survived by his wife Helen, a doctor he met while she was a radiologist at the Western Infirmary and he was a recently qualified doctor, their three children and four grandchildren.
     
  2. Tom Galloway

    Tom Galloway Member

    Dear Toeslayer

    I was very sad to see in your post that Ronald McRae has died.
    I first met Mr McRae when I served on the Chiropodists Board of the CPSM in the early 1980’s and he was one of the medical representatives on it.
    I remember being very impressed by his knowledge and good humour and clarity of argument.

    As well as all the professional achievements you mention, I also recall a shared interest in aircraft, gadgets and technology and in particular his great skills as a model engineer with a joy for making things from original castings he had modelled, from technical drawings he had prepared. He was indeed a man of many talents.

    He was also a great supporter of the development of Podiatric Surgery and in 1985 helped me produce the original wording of the surgery addendum to the Chiropodists Board Statement of Conduct published that year.

    I would imagine that, as in my case, everyone who met him felt better for that experience.


    Tom

    T R Galloway BSc (Hons) FCPodS
    Consultant Podiatric Surgeon & Head of Service
    Dept of Podiatric Surgery
    Wye Valley NHS Trust
    Honorary Professor Salford University
     
  3. davidh

    davidh Podiatry Arena Veteran

    A great loss.

    Mr McRae was a favourite lecturer at the old Glasgow School of Chiropody.

    I think I can speak for my whole year when I say we found his lectures interesting and absorbing, and the man himself approachable and keen to help.
    I can't remember anyone failing Anatomy!

    I have a much-thumbed 3rd edition copy of his book - Clinical Orthopaedic Examination - on my bookshelf. From the date it seems I purchased this as part of the reading material for my top-up degree. I certainly remember the man with great affection every time I dip into it.
     
  4. Peter

    Peter Well-Known Member

    My 3rd edition, is one of my "go to" Orthopaedic books.

    Never knew the man, but envious of those who did.

    RIP.
     

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