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Douglas Anthony Chamberlain, (4 April 1931 – 22 May 2025) was a British
cardiologist Cardiology () is the study of the heart. Cardiology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery di ...
who founded the first
paramedic A paramedic is a healthcare professional trained in the medical model, whose main role has historically been to respond to emergency calls for medical help outside of a hospital. Paramedics work as part of the emergency medical services (EMS), ...
unit in Europe, revolutionising pre-hospital clinical care.


Early life

Chamberlain was born in
Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
in 1931. His father was a coal merchant. He was not successful during his school years; he would frequently completely fail spelling and writing exercises. His parents sent him to board at
Ratcliffe College Ratcliffe College is a coeducational Catholic private boarding and day school near the village of Ratcliffe on the Wreake, Leicestershire, approximately from Leicester, England. The college, situated in of parkland on the Fosse Way about si ...
, a
private school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...
near
Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
. There a school master realised he was very intelligent but had an 'inability to comprehend the written word'; a condition now called
dyslexia Dyslexia (), previously known as word blindness, is a learning disability that affects either reading or writing. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, reading quickly, wri ...
. The extra help he was then given meant he passed the entrance exam to
Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the 16 "old colleges" of the university, and was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. Its buildings span the R ...
, to study medicine. Difficulty telling left and right, and a preference for rowing over the dissection room, almost caused him to fail on anatomy. A case of mistaken identity meant he passed; the external examiner wrongly thought he was the son of a famous physician and passed him. He graduated from the university in 1953 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA), that was later promoted to
Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
(MA). He then studied at Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital, qualifying as a doctor in 1956 as
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education trad ...
(MB, BChir).


Career

During his pre-registration year, 1957, Chamberlain remained at
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 ...
. He first undertook a nine-month appointment as house physician then three months as a house surgeon. His career direction in medicine rather than surgery was confirmed by a disastrous house surgeon rotation. He had been described by his surgical supervisor as the worst house surgeon he had ever encountered. Chamberlain served as a
Senior House Officer A senior house officer (SHO) is a non-consultant hospital doctor in Ireland and many Commonwealth countries. SHOs usually have a minimum of 1 year post medical school training. SHOs are supervised in their work by consultants and registrars. In tr ...
at
Royal United Hospital The Royal United Hospital (RUH) is a major acute-care district general hospital in the Weston suburb of Bath, England, which lies approximately west of the city centre. The hospital has 565 beds and occupies a site. It is the area's major acci ...
(RUH) in Bath and then took a role as Resident Medical Officer at the country branch of the National Heart Hospital in Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire while studying for the MRCP diploma. He entered
national service National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...
on 5 January 1959, commissioned into 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 ...
,
British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
as a
lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
(
service number A service number or roll number is an identification code used to identify a person within a large group. Service numbers are most often associated with the military; however, they also may be used in civilian organizations. National identificati ...
459368) and was posted to the British Military Hospital (BMH) in Iserlohn. He was promoted to
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
(acting Major) on 5 January 1960 and posted to BMH Hostert in Rheindahlen. After a short spell working in chest medicine at the
Brompton Hospital Royal Brompton Hospital is the largest specialist heart and lung medical centre in the United Kingdom. It is managed by Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. History Consumption in the 19th century In the 19th century, consumption was a co ...
, Chamberlain returned to Cardiology at St Bartholomew's in January 1962 as a research Registrar and at the end of the tenure was promoted to Senior Registrar in December 1966. He served 2 years of the 4-year posting before taking a year's fellowship in
Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is a teaching hospital located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the original and largest clinical education and research facility of Harvard Medical School/Harvar ...
in 1968 working within the orbit of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, a subdivision of the Department of Cardiology before returning for a final year at St Bartholomew's. Much of his research centred around the sympathetic nervous system, beta-blocking drugs, and pacing. He worked at the
Royal Sussex County Hospital The Royal Sussex County Hospital is an acute teaching hospital in Brighton, England. Together with the Princess Royal Hospital, it is administered by the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust. The services provided at the hospital inc ...
between 1970 and 1991 as a
Consultant A consultant (from "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice or services in an area of specialization (generally to medium or large-size corporations). Cons ...
Cardiologist Cardiology () is the study of the heart. Cardiology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery di ...
, and as Honorary Consultant subsequently. Chamberlain, together with Peter Baskett, trained ambulance personnel in
resuscitation Resuscitation is the process of correcting physiological disorders (such as lack of breathing or heartbeat) in an Acute (medicine), acutely ill patient. It is an important part of intensive care medicine, anesthesiology, trauma surgery and emerg ...
from late 1970. This was a pivotal moment in the development of the paramedic profession and Chamberlain and Baskett's work here and subsequently are acknowledged as the naissance of paramedics in Europe. Paramedics are now acknowledged as an autonomous and regulated profession and are still recognized for their abilities in cardiac care - as was first discovered by Chamberlain when teaching ECG recognition and cardiac care to nurses, doctors and ambulancemen from the 1970s to the mid-1990s in Brighton. During this period, Chamberlain developed his "10 Rules of a normal ECG", a foundation for ECG interpretation used all over the world to this date. Chamberlain maintained a major interest in resuscitation and prehospital care, and played a role in the development of the
European Resuscitation Council The European Resuscitation Council (ERC) is the European Interdisciplinary Council for Resuscitation Resuscitation is the process of correcting physiological disorders (such as lack of breathing or heartbeat) in an Acute (medicine), acutely ill ...
and the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation. Well into his 80s, Chamberlain was an Honorary Advisor to South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust and London Ambulance Service NHS Trust and was 'available any time of the day or night to take calls from paramedics'. He co-edited ''Cardiac Arrest: The Science and Practice of Resuscitation Medicine'', a reference book on advanced life support and resuscitation medicine. It was winner of the 2008 British Medical Association prize in Cardiology. He was Editor Emeritus of ''Resuscitation'', the official journal of the European Resuscitation Council, and was author or co-author of over 200 papers. Chamberlain died on 22 May 2025, at the age of 94.


Honours

In the 1988
New Year Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...
, Chamberlain was appointed
Commander of the Order of the British Empire 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 ...
(CBE). In June 1989, he was appointed Officer of the Order of St. John (OStJ). He was also a Knight of the
Order of Saint Gregory the Great The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great (; ) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope. The order is one of the five orders of knighthood of the Holy See. The honor is b ...
(KSG) and an Honorary Fellow of the
College of Paramedics The College of Paramedics is the recognised professional body for paramedics in the United Kingdom. The role of the College is to promote and develop the profession across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The college represents ...
. Chamberlain was made an honorary
Doctor of Science A Doctor of Science (; most commonly abbreviated DSc or ScD) is a science doctorate awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. Africa Algeria and Morocco In Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia, all universities accredited by the s ...
(DSc) by the University of Sussex in 1989, Hertford in 2003, and
Coventry University Coventry University is a Public university, public research university in Coventry, England. The origins of Coventry University can be linked to the Coventry School of Art and Design, Coventry School of Design in 1843. It was known as Lancheste ...
in 2008.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chamberlain, Douglas 1931 births 2025 deaths Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge Commanders of the Order of the British Empire British cardiologists Medical doctors from Cardiff Alumni of the Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital Officers of the Order of St John Royal Army Medical Corps officers People educated at Ratcliffe College Medical doctors from Brighton