E. Treacher Collins : obituary.

Date:
[1933]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: E. Treacher Collins : obituary. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Mr. J. B. Lawford writes : — Deeply as I lament the necessity, I welcome the opportunity of offering my tribute of admiration to the life and work of Treacher Collins, and an expression of my sincere regard and esteem for him. It is perhaps the more fitting that I should do so, as I believe it is correct to say that no one was more closely associated with him in his early days at Moorfields. We both held junior posts at the hospital, and for several years were in daily contact, while a little later we undertook some lengthy investigations to¬ gether. Thus I became thoroughly cognisant of his industry, his quiet persistence, and his powers of concentration and critical observation, characteristics which were even more prominent in the later stages of his career and, without doubt, proved a valuable asset in his scientific work. Again, many years later we were closely associated as joint secretaries of the Ophthalmological Section of the International Medical Congress held in London in 1913. I have not forgotten how greatly his energy and foresight and his cheery co-operation helped in a rather formidable task. Collins was the happy possessor of an exceptional memory for clinical and pathological details, and frequently excited my ad¬ miration by his ability to recall the features of cases or specimens examined years before. In this respect he resembled two former Moorfields surgeons, Jonathan Hutchinson and Nettleship. His death has ended a valued friendship of nearly half a century —it has been my good fortune to share it. Dr. John Rowan writes : — I am in receipt of the “British Journal of Ophthalmology’’ and from it I see you hope to publish a memoir of the late Mr. E. Treacher Collins in your next number. As I had the pleasure of travelling with him to America, to the Congress in Washington in 1922, I should like to say what an agreeable companion he was. I have travelled with him on a number of occasions, and have always found him the same. At the Congress in America, both Americans and Canadians remarked what a leading position he held in Ophthalmology. He took part in a friendly and informal way, in many of the discussions, and was always listened to with the greatest respect, and his opinion carried great weight. What struck me there especially, was the number of men who came up and spoke to him, and the affection and respect they obviously had for him. Man after man came up at different times, and said “Do you remember me Mr. Collins? I was at Moorfields