Malcolm Swann

7th August 1931 – 31st October 2024

Obituary by Robin Allum and Michael Thomas

Malcolm Swann was born in 1931 in West London and trained at the Westminster Hospital Medical School.

He spent four years abroad during his surgical training, two years on secondment to a hospital in Nigeria whilst working as a registrar at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and two years spent doing National Service with the Royal Army Medical Corps in Malaya.

He was appointed as consultant to the Windsor Group of Hospitals in 1967, which included the newly built Wexham Park Hospital Slough, Heatherwood Hospital Ascot, King Edward VII Hospital Windsor, St. Mark’s Hospital Maidenhead and the Canadian Red Cross Hospital Taplow.

As well as a running a busy general orthopaedic practice at Heatherwood and Wexham, Malcolm worked alongside the late Dr Barbara Ansell CBE, Consultant Rheumatologist at the Canadian Red Cross Hospital specialising in treating juvenile idiopathic arthritis where both built an international reputation in the management of this disease. Medical management was not nearly as successful as it is now and this was immensely challenging work carrying out soft tissue surgery and joint replacement in children and young adults with stunted growth and severe joint deformity.

He served as Honorary Secretary of the BOA from 1984 to 1985.

After fully retiring from the NHS at 70, he continued to work as a volunteer abroad for over 20 years. He initially worked with World Orthopaedic Concern (WOC) and Mercy Ships UK, then joined Richard Brueton and Chris Lavy in Blantyre, Malawi at the Beit Cure Hospital (an American Christian Charity).

After the two other surgeons had returned to the UK, he ran the hospital before spending a short time working in Ethiopia. He then moved to Zambia to oversee the completion and equipping of the Beit Cure International Hospital in Lusaka, becoming its Medical Director. He finally stopped operating at 80 but continued to manage a hospital and teach medicine in Lusaka until he was over 90!

His work in Africa was rightly recognised with an MBE in 2010.

An amazing medical legacy and wonderful colleague