MacKeith, Norman

Papers relating to Norman MacKeith's career. Primarily they comprise testimonials to MacKeith from the various individuals or institutions for which he worked, on the occasion of his applying for a position elsewhere; also included are certificates of his registration as a medical student, his entry in the Medical Register, his training in vaccination, and so forth.

A group of papers and photographs (item nos.50-62) relates to MacKeith's service with the RAMC in India during the Second World War: his service record and two self-compiled chronologies of this period are held as item nos.50-52 and photographs are held as item nos.59-62.

Norman MacKeith was a native of Southampton and spent the bulk of his career there.

He was born on the 25th October 1901 and attended King Edward VI Grammar School in Southampton 1910-1917 before training in medicine at Guy's Hospital 1918-1925. He received a B.Sc. from London University in 1921 and M.B., B.S. in 1926; he also passed as M.R.C.S (Eng.) and L.R.C.P. in 1924. He was entered into the Medical Register in February 1924.

His medical career was as an Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon, primarily in Southampton. An outline of his career follows (this draws heavily on a chronology of his career drawn up by MacKeith in 1961 and held as item no.64):

Guy's Hospital: clinical assistant, medical wards - 1924

Central London Throat Nose and Ear Hospital: house surgeon 1924; outpatient registrar, 1924-1928; inpatient registrar, 1926-1928.

Royal South Hants Hospital: honorary clinical assistant, ENT dept. - 1925-1931; honorary assistant surgeon, ENT dept. - 1931-1934; honorary surgeon in charge of ENT dept. - 1934-1948.

Southampton Children's Hospital and Dispensary for Women: honorary aural surgeon - 1925-.

West End Hospital for Nervous Diseases: clinical assistant, speech department - 1925-1926.

Royal National Hospital for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest, Ventnor: laryngologist, 1928- "for several years".

Southampton County Borough Council school clinic: aural surgeon.

Royal Victoria Hospital, Netley: visiting civilian specialist.

Royal Army Medical Corps: service, primarily in Northern Ireland (1940-1942) and India (1944-1945), rising to Major (awarded honorary rank of Lt.-Col. on demobilisation) - 1940-1946.

Wessex Regional Hospital Board: consultant oto-rhino-laryngologist - 1948-.

At Wellcome Collection:

More material on the institutions at which MacKeith worked can be found elsewhere in the collection. Material on the Royal Victoria Hospital at Netley can be found in the muniment collection of the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC). Patient records relating to the Royal National Hospital for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest, Ventnor, are in the papers of Dr. James Mann Williamson (c.1849-1901), a general practitioner at Ventnor (MSS.7502-7514).

Other members of the MacKeith family occur in the Wellcome Library's holdings: namely, Norman MacKeith's son Ronald MacKeith (1908-1977), PP/MKH; John S. MacKeith (b.1934), PP/JMK; James MacKeith (1938-2007), PP/MCK; and Stephen MacKeith (1906-1995), GC/135/B and GC/206. A general collection of material on the MacKeith family, compiled by John S. MacKeith, can be found at MSS.9203-9209.