Ian Gordon was born in the fishing town of Buckie, Banffshire, to John W Gordon, a local government official, and Mary née Taylor, a teacher and farmer’s daughter. He was educated at Buckie High School and went to University of Aberdeen at 16 years. Due to his young age he studied a BSc in medical sciences before graduating MB ChB in 1932. During his studies at University of Aberdeen, Ian Gordon was active in Aberdeen Universities Officer’s Training Corps, and played the saxophone in the Student’s Union dance band.
After graduation as a doctor, he became the House Physician at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, before moving to London where he was the house physician, then Resident Medical Officer, then Medical Registrar at the Royal Chest Hospital, also gaining experience as RMO and medical registrar at the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street. In 1936, he obtained membership of the Royal College of Physicians, and in 1937, back in Aberdeen, he was appointed assistant physician at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and the Royal Aberdeen Hospital for Sick Children, as well as the first Medical Officer for the Student Health Service at The University of Aberdeen. During this time, in 1938, he was also commissioned as an officer within Aberdeen Universities Officer Training Corps.
In 1939, with the onset of war, Ian joined the 15th (Scottish) General Hospital as a Major, with the initial plan of going to Norway following invasion, however this operation was cancelled. The field hospital left with a ceremony from Waverley Station in Edinburgh, first travelling to Peebles Hydro. They were stationed in Cairo in the Middle East. While there, on 30 December 1941, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire, following recommendation by Colonel Longmore, for his great contribution to the unit, recognising his exceptional ability, skill and enthusiasm, as well as willingly and efficiently adopting the post of Officer in Charge, due to absence, owing to illness, of the appointed officer.
During his work in Cairo, he researched infective hepatitis, publishing “Infective Hepatitis: With Special Reference to the Oral Hippuric Acid Test’ on 25th December 1943 in the British Medical Journal, a remarkable and informative description of all aspects of the illness, with a focus on the benefit of liver function tests, and the relevance of this illness in wartime. It is believed during wartime he also conducted research into trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) and the tsetse fly that transmits the protozoan, though the details of this research are unclear. While in Cairo he developed pulmonary tuberculosis and was temporarily transferred to South Africa, where he made a quick and full recovery. While there he met Dr Adriana Katarina van der Horst, who was working in the field hospital, having studied medicine and the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He proposed two weeks later, and they were married in Johannesburg in February 1945.
Their first son, Peter, was born in Johannesburg February 1946, followed by Meriel, and twins Alan and Donald. All studied at the University of Aberdeen, with Peter and Alan also studying medicine. A kind, fun and generous grandfather to his nine grandchildren, he and Adriana organised annual family gatherings from 1979, including one returning to Peebles Hydro. In 1946, he also became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians.
Following the Second World War he returned to Aberdeen and became a full physician with charge of wards, incorporating teaching of students. In the days before the National Health Service all work and teaching by consultants in hospitals was delivered for free. This voluntary work partly served to gain Ian a good reputation, and general practitioners would then refer patients to his then established private practice. Ian was involved in the start of the National Health Service in 1948, and was greatly respected for both his hospital and private practice work.
He continued to research and progress his profession, giving the first full description of Polymyalgia Rheumatica in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases in 1964, discussing the disease course and characteristics, case studies, histology, inflammatory nature and response to corticosteroid treatment. His work in this field helped establish the illness as a separate disease entity at the time that it was becoming eminently treatable with the discovery of steroids.
At the age of 65 years, he retired from hospital and teaching duties, but continued to do private practice and work in support of the Old People’s Welfare Council for many years. In addition to his war service in total he served the people of the North East of Scotland as a consultant for 31 years.
Outside of medicine Ian greatly enjoyed salmon and trout fishing and gardening, was interested in wild flowers, and photography and greatly loved spending time with his family.
Awards
Officer commissioning (1938)
Rank of Major and deployment (1939)
Order of the British Empire (1941)
Biography
Royal College of Physicians
Biography prepared from the nomination made by his grand-daughter, Jo Gordon to the University of Aberdeen 525 Alumni project.
