John Douglas Swales (1935–2000) was an English cardiologist, professor of medicine, medical journal editor, and internationally recognised expert on hypertension. After secondary education in Leicester, John Douglas Swales was awarded a scholarship to the University of Cambridge and graduated in 1957 from

Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the Unive ...

with first class honours. He then studied medicine at the Westminster Hospital Medical School and in 1961 graduated MB BChir from the University of Cambridge. From 1961 to 1968 he held junior medical appointments. From 1968 to 1970 he was a research fellow at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School. From 1970 to 1974 he was a senior lecturer at the medical school of the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

, where he was mentored by Sir Douglas Black. Swales qualified in 1964 MRCP and graduated in 1971 with the higher MD degree from the University of Cambridge. He was elected FRCP in 1977 and FMedSci in 1998. The

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...

appointed him

Bradshaw Lecture The Bradshaw Lectures are lectureships given at the invitation of the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Surgeons of England The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is an independent professional body and reg ...

r in 1987,

Croonian Lecture The Croonian Medal and Lecture is a prestigious award, a medal, and lecture given at the invitation of the Royal Society and the Royal College of Physicians. Among the papers of William Croone at his death in 1684, was a plan to endow a singl ...

r in 1991, and Harveian Orator in 1995. Swales was editor-in-chief of ''

Clinical Science Clinical research is a branch of medical research that involves people and aims to determine the effectiveness (efficacy) and safety of medications, devices, diagnostic products, and treatment regimens intended for improving human health. The ...

'' from 1980 to 1982, the '' Journal of Hypertension'' (from its founding in 1982 to 1987), and the ''

Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine The ''Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine'' is a peer-reviewed medical journal. It is the flagship journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, located in London, with full editorial independence. Its continuous publication history dates back to ...

'' in 1994. He served on the editorial boards of many journals, including ''

Hypertension Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a Chronic condition, long-term Disease, medical condition in which the blood pressure in the artery, arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms i ...

'' and ''

The Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal, founded in England in 1823. It is one of the world's highest-impact academic journals and also one of the oldest medical journals still in publication. The journal publishes ...

''. He was also editor-in-chief of the ''Textbook of Hypertension'' (Oxford, Blackwell Scientific, 1994). He was elected a fellow of the American Council for High Blood Pressure Research and an honorary fellow of the Australian Blood Pressure Council. In 1980–1981 he assisted in the foundation of the British Hypertension Society (renamed in 2016 the British and Irish Hypertension Society) and served as its second president. Swales went to London in 1996 to become national director of the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

Research and Development programme. Three years later he retired and returned to Leicester. On 7 October 1967 in

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

, London, he married Kathleen Patricia (nicknamed "Dooney") Townsend (b. 1942). Their son Philip Patrick Richard Swales (b. 1972) became a physician in Leicester. Their daughter Charlotte Rachel Swales (b. 1975) became a chartered accountant in London.

Selected publications

* *with N. J. Samani and W. J. Brammar: * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swales, John Douglas 1935 births 2000 deaths 20th-century English medical doctors Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge British cardiologists Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom) Medical journal editors Health professionals from Leicester People educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys