People

A black and white photo of Dr Charles West, sat in a chair with a book open in his hand. He looks very serious.

Dr Charles West (1816–1898) Founder West’s belief that sick children needed dedicated, inpatient care led him to open the Hospital for Sick Children at Great Ormond Street in 1852, the only one of its kind in the UK. For the first time, children had a place where they could receive basic medical attention, shelter and nourishment.

An old sepia photo of Sir Thomas Smith, looking straight at the camera.

Sir Thomas Smith (1833–1909) Surgeon Renowned for his speed and skill, Smith was at the forefront of surgical thinking at the time, becoming the first surgeon to try antiseptic surgery in 1875. Specialising in cleft palate surgery, Smith invented a device for administering chloroform while an operation was underway, enabling him to treat younger children.

An old photo of Catherine Wood, sat at a table with a book in hand, looking serious.

Lady Superintendent Catherine Jane Wood was Lady Superintendent of the hospital and helped found the British Nurses’ Association. Wood’s work for nurses was as tireless as her work for children. Passionate about their wellbeing, she started a pensions and savings scheme for her nurses, and introduced a children’s nursing training scheme. Throughout her life, Wood campaigned vigorously for the registration of nurses and improved nurse education. Some content reproduced with permission from the Historic Hospital Admission Records Project

Dr Robert Bridges (1844–1930) Physician and Poet Laureate As the only medical graduate to become Poet Laureate, Robert Bridges was an unconventional doctor. Working in the hospital’s Outpatients department, Bridges was a conscientious physician who was sensitive to the suffering of his patients. After giving up medical practice, Bridges devoted himself to writing poetry, literary criticism, and hymn translations that are still in use today. Some content reproduced with permission from the Historic Hospital Admission Records Project

An old black and white photo of Thomas Barlow, looking seriously at the camera, wearing a suit.

Thomas Barlow (1845–1945) Physician and researcher Famous for his contributions to medical research, Barlow’s greatest achievement was to show that infantile scurvy was identical to adult scurvy, and that rickets was not an essential part of the disease. Fame led Barlow to his appointment as Physician Extraordinary to Queen Victoria, and he was at her bedside when she died in 1901.

JM Barrie (1860–1937) Author In an act of incredible generosity, JM Barrie gave the copyright of his novel, Peter Pan, to the hospital in 1929, providing a steady income for years to come. As an enduring symbol of childhood, Peter Pan is an inspiration to sick children, and remains an integral part of the hospital’s identity to this day.

A black and white photo Sir Denis Browne wearing glasses and a suit and tie.

Sir Denis Browne (1892–1967) Surgeon The forefather of modern paediatric surgery in England, Browne was the first full-time children’s surgeon and co-founded the British Association of Paediatric Surgeons. Browne invented numerous surgical instruments, including a child-friendly mechanism to deliver anaesthetic, which prevented young patients from panicking.

A black and white photo of Mildred Creak smiling at the camera

Mildred Creak (1898–1993) Consultant As the first female consultant at the hospital, Mildred Creak was also a founder of child psychiatry in Britain, setting up the first department for psychological medicine in the hospital. Creak championed collaboration between paediatricians and psychiatrists. She was known for increasing visiting hours for parents, and for encouraging a better appreciation of a child’s emotional needs and helping parents in their distress.

A black and white photo of Professor Roger Hardisty, wearing glasses and suit.

Professor Roger Hardisty (1922–1997) Professor The first professor of paediatric haematology in Britain, Hardisty led the country’s first leukaemia research unit, which opened at the hospital in 1961, and led the first national cancer studies. With no formal training as a paediatrician and no specialist cancer ward, Hardisty was able to make remarkable steps in understanding and treating leukaemia, turning a 100 per cent death rate into a 70 per cent survival rate.

A colour photo Roland Levinsky smiling at the camera in a suit and tie.

Roland Levinsky (1943–2007) Consultant Roland Levinsky was an international leader in the field of immunodeficiency diseases, and in 1979 performed the first successful bone marrow transplant in the UK An outstanding researcher, Levinsky became Dean of the hospital’s dedicated research partner, the UCL Institute of Child Health, in 1990. He transformed a declining establishment into one of the foremost children’s research organisations in the world.