Sir Harry Platt

"Transcript" of an interview of Sir Harry Platt, famous orthopaedic surgeon, conducted by Richard Smith, Assistant Editor of the BMJ in July 1986 when Platt was nearly 100 years old.
Plus cassette tape of interview. Smith wrote his transcript from memory on the train back.

The interview chronicles Platt's early life and family and his well documented career and following the interview an article on Sir Harry Platt was written for the BMJ 4 October 1986 issue.

1986

1 File

Passed to CMAC by Dr Roy Porter and never accessioned. Gifted on 28/03/2007.

Sir Harry Platt was a famous orthopaedic surgeon, working in Manchester and the North West of England. In 1939, Platt was appointed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Manchester and was a well known lecturer and speaker.
In 1954, Platt became the first orthopeadic surgeon to be elected to the prestigious post of President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. During his time as Chair, Platt worked to improve hospital services within the NHS and was active on a number of committees for the care of children in hospitals, emergency services and nursing education.

Platt lent his name to the Ministry of Health's 1959 Report, "Welfare of Children in Hospital", which is most commonly known as the "Platt Report." The Report was a breakthrough for families, lifting the traditional constraints on visiting as it advocated for the rights of parents to visit their sick children in hospital whenever it was possible to do so.

Interviewer Richard Smith worked at the British Medical Journal for 25 years and went on to become editor.