John Bernard Wyman

Personal Details

Dr John Bernard Wyman MRCS LRCP FFARCS DA FRCS MBE

Known as: Jabe or JB

24/05/1916 to 21/09/1994

Place of birth:  London, England

Nationality: British

CRN: 523105

Education and qualifications

General education Davenant Foundation School in Whitechapel, London
King’s College, London and Westminster Medical School
Primary medical qualification(s) MRCS Eng., LRCP Lond., 1941
Initial Fellowship and type FFARCS by Election
Year of Fellowship 1953
Other qualification(s) DA (RCP&S), 1945

Professional life and career

Postgraduate career

After qualifying in January 1941 Wyman undertook a house job in anaesthetics at Westminster Hospital. In 1942 he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC)  and served in north Africa and Italy, attaining the rank of Major (Specialist Anaesthetist). After demobilisation, in 1947 he returned to be an anaesthetist at the Westminster Hospital and Woolwich War Memorial Hospital, and was soon appointed as a Consultant at both. By 1955 he was also Honorary Anaesthetist to the Italian Hospital. His appointment to the Woolwich ended in 1964, but he continued at the Westminster until his retirement in 1981. After a period as Sub-Dean of the Westminster Medical School, he served as Dean from 1964 to 1981.  

Professional interests and activities

He was awarded the MBE in 1945 while still in the RAMC. On demobilisation he was an active member of the Royal Society of Medicine, and of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain & Ireland (AAGBI); he served on the Council of the AAGBI for 1959-62. His interest in controlled hypotension during anaesthesia led to him being elected Hunterian Professor at the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1953. But he also published on other topics including epidural analgesia and anaesthesia in obstetrics, and medical education. Further honours came his way: elected Fellow of Kings’s College London in 1980, and FRCS Eng. in 1981. 

Other biographical information

He married Joan Beighton in 1948 and they had three sons and a daughter. He was remembered by his colleagues as a formidable leader in medical education who had an understanding approach and an infectious sense of humour. In retirement he lived in West Sussex until his death at the age of 78, survived by his family.

Author and sources

Author:

Dr Alistair McKenzie

Sources and comments:

[1[ Evans DL. Obituary JB Wyman MBE, FRCS, FFARCS (with photograph). BMJ 1995; 310: 933-4. [2] Medical Registers and Directories [3] ancestry.co.uk