Sir Bernard Evans Tomlinson (13 July 1920 – 26 May 2017) was a distinguished

neuropathologist Neuropathology is the study of disease of nervous system tissue, usually in the form of either small surgical biopsies or whole-body autopsies. Neuropathologists usually work in a department of anatomic pathology, but work closely with the cli ...

. He was born in Ashfield, the second of four children. The family lived in

Huthwaite Huthwaite is a village in the Ashfield district, in Nottinghamshire, England, located to the west of Mansfield, close to the Derbyshire boundary. It is in the Huthwaite and Brierley ward of Ashfield District Council. Before 1907 the village w ...

and he went to Brunts Grammar School. His elder brother also became a doctor and his younger twin sisters became nurses. He married Betty Oxley who also lived in Huthwaite. He trained as a

clinical pathologist Clinical pathology is a medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the Medical laboratory, laboratory analysis of bodily fluids, such as blood, urine, and tissue homogenates or extracts using the tools of clini ...

University College Hospital University College Hospital (UCH) is a teaching hospital in the Fitzrovia area of the London Borough of Camden, England. The hospital, which was founded as the North London Hospital in 1834, is closely associated with University College Lo ...

and joined the

Socialist Medical Association The Socialist Health Association (SHA, called the Socialist Medical Association before May 1981) is a socialist medical association based in the United Kingdom. It is affiliated to the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party as a Socialist society (Lab ...

. He campaigned for the establishment of the NHS during the 1945 election. He did two years’ National Service in the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) was a specialist corps in the British Army which provided medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. On 15 November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army De ...

. He was appointed in 1949 as senior registrar in pathology and deputy director of pathology at

Newcastle General Hospital Newcastle General Hospital (NGH) was for many years the main hospital for the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. As part of Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust moving from three to two key sites, the hospital was closed and the ...

and was professor of pathology at Newcastle University from 1973 to 1985. The family moved to

Low Fell Low Fell is a suburb of Gateshead situated in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead in Tyne and Wear, England. Built predominantly on sandstone, grindstone and clay, it is bordered by Sheriff Hill/ Deckham to the east, Saltwell/Bensham to the ...

. His main research was into dementia and

Alzheimer’s Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems with ...

. In 1982 he was appointed by

Norman Fowler Peter Norman Fowler, Baron Fowler, (born 2 February 1938) is a British politician who served as a member of both Margaret Thatcher and John Major's ministries during the 1980s and 1990s. He held the office of Lord Speaker from 1 September 201 ...

to chair the Northern Regional Health Authority, the first medic to do so. He was appointed

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1981 and he was knighted in 1988. In 1991 he was asked by William Waldegrave to produce a report on

Healthcare in London Healthcare in London, which consumes about a fifth of the NHS budget in England, is in many respects distinct from that in the rest of the United Kingdom, or England. History Early history The earliest state hospitals in the UK were set up in ...

, which was known as the Tomlinson review. It recommended the closure of

Charing Cross Hospital Charing Cross Hospital is district general hospital and teaching hospital located in Hammersmith in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The present hospital was opened in 1973, although it was originally established in 1818, approxim ...

Middlesex Hospital Middlesex Hospital was a teaching hospital located in the Fitzrovia area of London, England. First opened as the Middlesex Infirmary in 1745 on Windmill Street, it was moved in 1757 to Mortimer Street where it remained until it was finally clos ...

and

St Bartholomew's Hospital St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 by Rahere, and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust. History Early history Barts was founded in 1123 by ...

, the merger of Guy’s and Thomas’ and the closure of ten smaller hospitals. The government accepted the report. Middlesex did close, Guy's and Thomas' did merge, but most of the recommendations were not implemented because they were too controversial. In discussions about

bovine spongiform encephalopathy Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, is an incurable and always fatal neurodegenerative disease of cattle. Symptoms include abnormal behavior, trouble walking, and weight loss. Later in the course of th ...

in 1996 he told

You and Yours ''You and Yours'' is a British radio consumer affairs programme, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and produced by BBC News. History ''You and Yours'' began broadcasting in October 1970, when its first presenter was Joan York. In the 1980s it briefly ra ...

that he would not eat beefburgers “under any circumstances” and was attacked by

Angela Browning Angela Frances Browning, Baroness Browning (; born 4 December 1946) is a British Conservative Party politician. She was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tiverton and Honiton from 1997 to 2010, having previously been MP for Tiverton from 19 ...

for saying so.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tomlinson, Bernard British pathologists 1920 births 2017 deaths Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Knights Bachelor People from Huthwaite Neuropathologists