Thomas Stephens West

bmj;381/jun16_8/p1376/FAF1faThomas Stephens West (“Tom”) made distinguished careers in two separate clinical fields. He was a fellow medical student with (Dame) Cicely Saunders, later to be founder of the international hospice movement, and Mary Baines, who became a pioneer of palliative medicine. Saunders shared her ideas and helped look after Tom’s father when he was terminally ill with cancer and who effectively became the first hospice patient.Tom had been born near Bulawayo, then in Southern Rhodesia, and retained warm affection for Africa from his childhood. Hence, on qualifying, he went as a missionary doctor to Wusasa, Nigeria. He performed hundreds of major operations with little assistance, while leading development of the hospital from mud buildings into a modern 160 bed facility despite the onset of the country’s civil war. In recognition of his achievements he was made OBE on his return to the UK in 1972.Cicely Saunders invited him to join…
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