Abstract
Study design:
This is a review article.
Objectives:
To evaluate the role played by George Riddoch in the setting up of spinal units in the UK and the appointment of Ludwig Guttmann.
Setting:
Wendover, UK.
Methods:
Review of the literature and the public records.
Results:
Not applicable.
Conclusions:
George Riddoch's contribution to our understanding of the treatment for spinal injuries by means of his research on the patho-physiology, treatment and the setting up of spinal injury units in World Wars I and II was outstanding, especially his role in finding, appointing and supervising Ludwig Guttmann at the National Spinal Injuries Centre.
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References
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Acknowledgements
I am grateful to Mr Jonathan Evans (archivist at the London Hospital), Mr King (archivist for the Society of British Neurological Surgeons), Mr Philip Harris, Dr George Storey and Lord Walton, for their invaluable help with my research, and to the Wellcome library for granting permission to reproduce an illustration of George Riddoch, and English Heritage for granting permission to reproduce an illustration of the Empire Hospital.
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Silver, J., Weiner, MF. George Riddoch: the man who found Ludwig Guttmann. Spinal Cord 50, 88–93 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.2011.117
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.2011.117
