Sir David Innes Williams (12 June 1919 – 3 May 2013) was a British paediatric urologist.

Early life and education

Williams was born in London on 12 June 1919 and educated at

Sherborne School Sherborne School is a full-boarding school for boys aged 13 to 18 located beside Sherborne Abbey in the Dorset town of Sherborne. The school has been in continuous operation on the same site for over 1,300 years. It was founded in 705 AD by Ald ...

and

Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall (formally The College or Hall of the Holy Trinity in the University of Cambridge, colloquially "Tit Hall" ) is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1350, it is th ...

. He served 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 ...

from 1945 until 1948, during which time he was appointed Surgical Specialist. After leaving the Army Williams became a resident at St Peter's Hospital for Stone, a

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

hospital for the treatment of

bladder stones A bladder stone is a stone found in the urinary bladder. Signs and symptoms Bladder stones are small mineral deposits that can form in the bladder. In most cases bladder stones develop when the urine becomes very concentrated or when one is ...

and other

urological Urology (from Greek οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and ''-logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of the urinary system and the reproductive organs. Orga ...

complaints.

Contribution to medical field

Williams is widely regarded as the founder of the modern medical field of paediatric urology. In 1948, Williams was a resident in Urology at St Peter's. A boy was brought to the hospital who was suffering from

urinary retention Urinary retention is an inability to completely empty the bladder. Onset can be sudden or gradual. When of sudden onset, symptoms include an inability to urinate and lower abdominal pain. When of gradual onset, symptoms may include urinary incont ...

. Williams was shocked to know that not even senior staff in the hospital had any knowledge on how to treat the child. Williams also came to know that there was no literature in the field. Deciding that the field needed to be studied more, he began collaboration for a book with Twistington Higgins, a

general surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

interested in urology. Williams, Higgins, and DF Ellison Nash co-wrote ''The Urology of Childhood'', which was published in 1951 and the book became a milestone in the development of child urology. ''The Urology of Childhood'' started a productive phase in Williams' writing life. The next few decades Williams wrote and added to the existent literature. He also enlarged and worked on the previous research, thereby strengthening the field. He wrote and published several papers based on his own surgical observations. He also worked tirelessly to establish a small body of fellow specialists. One of his first initiatives on being appointed in 1952 to the new position of senior genito-urinary surgeon at the

Great Ormond Street Hospital Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS F ...

was to found the Society for Paediatric Urologists. He achieved this aim in 1963, an organization that today has members around the world.

Awards and honors

The contributions and improvements Williams made in the field of genito-urinary conditions, especially in finding new treatments for children, led to many regarding him the founder of paediatric urology clinically, academically and educationally. It was achievements such as these that led to a knighthood in 1985. Some of the prestigious posts he held throughout his career are Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

(1985–87), Chairman of Council,

Imperial Cancer Research Fund Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organisation. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and ...

(1982–91), President of the

British Medical Association The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union and professional body for physician, doctors in the United Kingdom. It does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The BMA ...

(1988–89), and President of the

Royal Society of Medicine The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is a medical society based at 1 Wimpole Street, London, UK. It is a registered charity, with admission through membership. Its Chief Executive is Michele Acton. History The Royal Society of Medicine (R ...

(1990–92). In 1967 he was awarded the

St Peter's Medal The St Peter's Medal is awarded annually by the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) for contributions to the surgical field of urology. The medal was designed and produced by sculptor William Bloye of the Birmingham School of Art ...

by the

British Association of Urological Surgeons The British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) is a professional association in the United Kingdom for urology professionals. Its official journal is the '' BJU International'', established in 1929, which is also the journal of the Urolo ...

(BAUS).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, David Innes 1919 births 2013 deaths People educated at Sherborne School Alumni of Trinity Hall, Cambridge Medical doctors from London British urologists Presidents of the British Medical Association Presidents of the Royal Society of Medicine Knights Bachelor Presidents of the History of Medicine Society Physicians of Great Ormond Street Hospital British paediatric surgeons Recipients of the St Peter's Medal Recipients of the Denis Browne Gold Medal