John Boyd Dunlop:John Boyd Dunlop was son of John (Johnny) Boyd Dunlop and Constance Mary Moore and a grandson of the Edinburgh veterinary surgeon who patented the pneumatic tyre in 1888 before moving to Belfast and then Dublin, where Boyd was born.
Boyd (as he was usually known), who died on December 10th, was educated at Castle Park preparatory school, Uppingham School in Rutlandshire and studied medicine in Trinity College Dublin where he qualified in 1941.
In 1944 he joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as temporary surgeon-lieutenant, where he was involved in the establishment of the Mulberry floating harbour at the beachhead in Arromanches. After the war he returned to Dublin working as surgical registrar in Dr Steevens's Hospital with "Baldy" Haughton, Arthur Chance and Jack Cherry, gaining his FRCSI in 1948.
No doubt it was from these mentors that he developed his interest in orthopaedics. He spent some time in the United States studying the effects of the polio epidemic and learning how to assess and manage the orthopaedic problems this had created.
In 1950 he was appointed surgeon to Dr Steevens's Hospital and to the Incorporated Orthopaedic Hospital of Ireland, posts which he held until he retired in 1983.
In response to the residual problems associated with polio, the Central Remedial Clinic was established in 1951 by Lady Valerie Goulding, daughter of Viscount Monckton, who had been attorney general in London at the time of King Edward's abdication, and Kathleen O'Rourke, a remedial therapist who also pioneered the League of Health in Ireland.
The clinic was initially sited in Pembroke Street in 1954 moved to larger and more suitable premises in Goatstown and in the 1960s to a purpose-built facility in Vernon Avenue, Clontarf. Management of the residual post-polio problems required more than physiotherapy, and Boyd Dunlop was associated with the clinic from its inception as medical director, using the skills he had acquired in the United States. Tribute is still paid to Boyd's skill on the current website for the post-polio support group
"I have many happy memories of my time there [ in the CRC] and am indebted to the staff . . . John Boyd Dunlop for actually getting me back on my feet" is a typical comment.
With the disappearance of polio with the vaccination programmes, Boyd turned his attention to other advances in orthopaedics, in particular developing a keen interest and skill in hip and knee replacement.
There can be no doubt that his interest in polio and other neuromuscular disorders remained and one had only to watch as he assessed a patient with cerebral palsy or residual polio problems and to assist when he meticulously carried out the appropriate corrective surgery to realise that one was in the presence of a master clinician and surgeon.
Boyd maintained the Dublin tradition of teaching at the bedside and by example. His example was not confined solely to matters clinical. To administration he brought the same quiet but effective meticulous approach; attention to detail, good humour, and a willingness to consider fully options other than his own, typified this.
These characteristics were all necessary during his time as chairman of the Dr Steevens Medical Board and as a member of the hospital board itself. It might be said that on occasion he would appear initially to dismiss rather abruptly suggestions made about various problems.
However, two or three days later the proposer would be handed a detailed analysis of the suggestion with thoughts about how it could be improved or reasons why it should be abandoned.
He married Evelyn, daughter of William Nesbit (chairman of Arnotts) and when not in hospital or his rooms in Fitzwilliam Place, his time was devoted to his home and family.
Boyd was a keen golfer, yachtsman and windsurfer and later in life than would be usual, he took to waterskiing. In this he was probably helped by the fact that he had been for years an accomplished downhill skier, visiting the Swiss Alps annually in a party, which often included the Gouldings and fellow surgeon Derek Robinson.
Boyd's interest in the Central Remedial Clinic continued long after its focus moved from the care of those who had been affected by polio to one which today provides a comprehensive range of treatment for almost 4,000 children and 500 adults with physical disabilities.
He was presented in 2004 with the first Lady Goulding Humanitarian award. He is survived by Evelyn, his wife, son John and daughters Judy and Linda.
John Boyd Dunlop: born July 31st, 1918; died December 10th, 2005