Sir Theodore "Robbie" Fortescue Fox (26 November 1899 – 19 June 1989) was a British physician and medical editor. After graduating from

Leighton Park School Leighton Park School is a co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, private school for both day and boarding pupils in Reading, Berkshire, Reading in South East England. The school's ethos is closely tied to the Quaker values, having ...

in 1918, Theodore Fox, as a Quaker, joined the

Friends' Ambulance Unit The Friends' Ambulance Unit (FAU) was a volunteer ambulance service, founded by individual members of the British Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), in line with their Peace Testimony. The FAU operated from 1914 to 1919, 1939 to 1946 and ...

and served in France for eight months. With the benefit of a scholarship, he matriculated, in 1919, at

Pembroke College, Cambridge Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college is the third-oldest college of the university and has over 700 students and fellows. It is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from ...

. After education at the University Cambridge and medical training at the

London Hospital The Royal London Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is part of Barts Health NHS Trust. It provides district general hospital services for the City of London and London Borough of Tow ...

, he qualified MRCS, LRCS (''i.e.'' Member of the RCS, Licentiate of the RCS) in 1924. At the London Hospital he was house physician to Sir Robert Hutchison. After a round trip to India as a ship's surgeon, Fox undertook, in 1925,

locum A locum, or locum tenens, is a person who temporarily fulfills the duties of another; the term is especially used for physicians or clergy. For example, a ''locum tenens physician'' is a physician who works in the place of the regular physician. ...

work at the editorial office of ''The Lancet''. He graduated in 1926

BChir 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 tradi ...

, in 1937 MB, and in 1938 MD from the University of Cambridge. Fox continued his editorial work at ''The Lancet'' until the start of WWII. He served for three years in the

RAMC 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 ...

. During WWII he was a regimental medical officer in France before he was evacuated from

Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...

. He then worked in the RAMC's Army Blood Transfusion Service before he joined the

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

to edit the ''Army Medical Department Bulletin''. At the request of ''The Lancet''s editor-in-chief

Egbert Morland Egbert Coleby Morland (1874–1955) was an English physician and medical editor. Egbert Morland came of Quaker stock. He was the fifth son of Charles Coleby Morland, J.P., and his wife, Jane Fryer. After education at Whitgift School in Croydon ...

, the RAMC released Fox to return to editorial work at ''The Lancet''s wartime office in

Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery and the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Waterside Theatre. It is located in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wycombe and Milt ...

. In 1944, Morland retired and Fox became ''The Lancet''s editor-in-chief. Fox was elected FRCP in 1946. He was heavily involved in the discussions and controversies concerning the establishment 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 ...

. Fox was, in 1951, the

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. He gave in 1963 the Heath Clark lectures, which were published as ''Crisis in Communication'' (London, The Athlone Press, 1965). In 1965, he delivered the Harveian Oration on ''Purposes of Medicine''. In 1966 he gave the Maurice Bloch lecture at the University of Glasgow. He was a prolific letter writer and sent his famous hand-painted Christmas cards (Fox cards) to his friends. He was knighted in 1962. In 1930 he married Margaret Evelyn McDougall (1906–1970). They had four sons. Robin Fox, their youngest son, was editor of ''The Lancet'' from 1990 to 1995. T. Fortescue Fox's father was

Robert Fortescue Fox Robert Fortescue Fox (1858–1940) was a British physician, surgeon, and one of the founders of physical medicine and rehabilitation. Biography R. Fortescue Fox qualified MRCS in 1882 at the London Hospital in 1882 and was house physician to ...

, MD, FRCP, a pioneer of

physical therapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is a healthcare profession, as well as the care provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through patient education, physical intervention, disease preventio ...

Selected publications

* * * * (See

William Bean William Bean (December 9, 1721-May 1782) was an American pioneer, longhunter, and Commissioner of the Watauga Association. He is accepted by historians as the first permanent European American settler of Tennessee. Biography William Bean wa ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Theodore Fortescue 1899 births 1989 deaths Military personnel from Highland (council area) Scottish military medical officers 20th-century British medical doctors People educated at Leighton Park School Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge Royal Army Medical Corps officers Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Knights Bachelor Scottish knights People associated with the Friends' Ambulance Unit People from Ross and Cromarty People from Rotherfield The Lancet editors British Army personnel of World War II