Norman Blacklock
Encyclopedia
Sir Norman James Blacklock KCVO
OBE
FRCS (5 February 1928 – 7 September 2006) was a surgeon
in the Royal Navy
and later a consultant
in urology
and professor of medicine at Manchester University
. He served as Medical Officer to The Queen
on her overseas tours for 17 years, from 1976 to 1993. He became known to the accompanying press corps as "the Queen's Witch Doctor", and the Duke of Edinburgh
nicknamed him "Hemlock". He was appointed an Extra Gentleman Usher in 1993.
Blacklock was born in Glasgow
. His family were doctors with leanings towards the Royal Navy. Evacuated from his home in the Second World War, he was educated McLaren High School
in Callander
, and read medicine at Glasgow University. He worked as a junior registrar
at Glasgow Royal Infirmary
and the Western Infirmary
in Glasgow, and then did National Service
in the Royal Navy
from 1951, serving on board HMS Theseus
and HMS Warrior
, treating trauma cases.
He returned to medicine in 1954, working as a surgical registrar and lecturer in surgery at Glasgow Royal Infirmary
, and then at hospitals in Ipswich
and London
from 1956. He married Marjorie Reid in 1956, and they had one daughter (Fiona) and one son (Neil) together, both of whom became doctors.
He rejoined the Royal Navy in 1958 to help fill a shortage of surgeons, and served at Navy hospitals in Chatham
, Plymouth
, Malta
and Haslar
in Gosport
. At Gosport, he started to specialise in urology
, founding a new department.
He was appointed the director of surgical research in the Royal Navy in 1974, when he was also appointed OBE
. He stood in as Medical Officer to the Queen
on a royal visit to Luxembourg
in 1976, when the incumbent surgeon fell ill at the last minute, and he continued in that role until 1993. He was always well prepared: the HMY Britannia
contained a full operating theatre
; aircraft of the Queen's Flight carried emergency medical equipment; and he carried a case containing medical supplies, a resuscitator
and a defibrillator; but his services were seldom required. He also co-ordinated with local hospitals, and ensured that food served in host countries was acceptable. In Belize
, he approved a local delicary, the gibnut (a large rodent
). He was appointed CVO
in 1989, and advanced to KCVO
and appointed an Extra Gentleman Usher in 1993, after his last royal tour to Hungary
.
After retiring from the Royal Navy in 1978, with the rank of Surgeon Captain
, he became professor of urology at Victoria University of Manchester
. He was based at the Withington Hospital
in south Manchester
, where he set up the first NHS
lithotriptor
unit, using ultrasound
to break down kidney stone
s. He published over 80 academic papers and contributed to numerous textbooks. He gave up his chair in 1992.
He died after a fall on the afternoon of his 50th wedding anniversary climbing up some stairs.
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
FRCS (5 February 1928 – 7 September 2006) was a surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and later a consultant
Consultant
A consultant is a professional who provides professional or expert advice in a particular area such as management, accountancy, the environment, entertainment, technology, law , human resources, marketing, emergency management, food production, medicine, finance, life management, economics, public...
in urology
Urology
Urology is the medical and surgical specialty that focuses on the urinary tracts of males and females, and on the reproductive system of males. Medical professionals specializing in the field of urology are called urologists and are trained to diagnose, treat, and manage patients with urological...
and professor of medicine at Manchester University
Victoria University of Manchester
The Victoria University of Manchester was a university in Manchester, England. On 1 October 2004 it merged with the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology to form a new entity, "The University of Manchester".-1851 - 1951:The University was founded in 1851 as Owens College,...
. He served as Medical Officer to The Queen
Medical Officer to The Queen
A Medical Officer to The King/Queen accompanies His/Her Majesty on overseas tour.He is normally a senior Royal Navy surgeon. He is not, strictly, a member of the Medical Household of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom....
on her overseas tours for 17 years, from 1976 to 1993. He became known to the accompanying press corps as "the Queen's Witch Doctor", and the Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh is a British royal title, named after the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, which has been conferred upon members of the British royal family only four times times since its creation in 1726...
nicknamed him "Hemlock". He was appointed an Extra Gentleman Usher in 1993.
Blacklock was born in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. His family were doctors with leanings towards the Royal Navy. Evacuated from his home in the Second World War, he was educated McLaren High School
McLaren High School
McLaren High School is a state comprehensive, non-denominational secondary school in central Scotland. It was founded in 1892 by Donald McLaren and is situated in the town of Callander. The school has a catchment area of about and contains approximately 700 pupils...
in Callander
Callander
Callander is a burgh in the region of Stirling, Scotland, situated on the River Teith. The town is located in the former county of Perthshire and is a popular tourist stop to and from the Highlands....
, and read medicine at Glasgow University. He worked as a junior registrar
Specialist registrar
A Specialist Registrar or SpR is a doctor in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland who is receiving advanced training in a specialist field of medicine in order eventually to become a consultant...
at Glasgow Royal Infirmary
Glasgow Royal Infirmary
The Glasgow Royal Infirmary is a large teaching hospital, operated by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde,. With a capacity of around 1000 beds, the hospital campus covers an area of around 20 acres, situated on the north-eastern edge of the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland.-History:Designed by Robert...
and the Western Infirmary
Western Infirmary
The Western Infirmary is a teaching hospital situated in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland. There is also a Maggie's centre at the hospital to help cancer patients, as well as the Glasgow Clinical Research Facility....
in Glasgow, and then did National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
from 1951, serving on board HMS Theseus
HMS Theseus (R64)
HMS Theseus was a Colossus-class light fleet aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy. She was laid down in 1943 by Fairfield at Govan, and launched on 6 July 1944.-Workup and initial service:...
and HMS Warrior
HMS Warrior (R31)
HMS Warrior was a Colossus-class light aircraft carrier which served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1946 to 1948 , the Royal Navy from 1948 to 1958, and the Argentine Navy from 1959 to 1969 .- History :Built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast, she was originally to be called HMS Brave; the Royal...
, treating trauma cases.
He returned to medicine in 1954, working as a surgical registrar and lecturer in surgery at Glasgow Royal Infirmary
Glasgow Royal Infirmary
The Glasgow Royal Infirmary is a large teaching hospital, operated by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde,. With a capacity of around 1000 beds, the hospital campus covers an area of around 20 acres, situated on the north-eastern edge of the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland.-History:Designed by Robert...
, and then at hospitals in Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from 1956. He married Marjorie Reid in 1956, and they had one daughter (Fiona) and one son (Neil) together, both of whom became doctors.
He rejoined the Royal Navy in 1958 to help fill a shortage of surgeons, and served at Navy hospitals in Chatham
Chatham, Medway
Chatham is one of the Medway towns located within the Medway unitary authority, in North Kent, in South East England.Although the dockyard has long been closed and is now being redeveloped into a business and residential community as well as a museum featuring the famous submarine, HMS Ocelot,...
, Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
and Haslar
Haslar
Haslar is place in England, at the southern tip of Alverstoke, on the Gosport peninsula, Hampshire. It takes its name from Anglo-Saxon hæsel-ōra = "hazel - landing place"...
in Gosport
Gosport
Gosport is a town, district and borough situated on the south coast of England, within the county of Hampshire. It has approximately 80,000 permanent residents with a further 5,000-10,000 during the summer months...
. At Gosport, he started to specialise in urology
Urology
Urology is the medical and surgical specialty that focuses on the urinary tracts of males and females, and on the reproductive system of males. Medical professionals specializing in the field of urology are called urologists and are trained to diagnose, treat, and manage patients with urological...
, founding a new department.
He was appointed the director of surgical research in the Royal Navy in 1974, when he was also appointed OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
. He stood in as Medical Officer to the Queen
Medical Officer to The Queen
A Medical Officer to The King/Queen accompanies His/Her Majesty on overseas tour.He is normally a senior Royal Navy surgeon. He is not, strictly, a member of the Medical Household of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom....
on a royal visit to Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
in 1976, when the incumbent surgeon fell ill at the last minute, and he continued in that role until 1993. He was always well prepared: the HMY Britannia
HMY Britannia
Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia is the former Royal Yacht of the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. She was the 83rd such vessel since the restoration of King Charles II in 1660. She is the second Royal yacht to bear the name, the first being the famous racing cutter built for The Prince of Wales...
contained a full operating theatre
Operating theatre
An operating theater was a non-sterile, tiered theater or amphitheater in which students and other spectators could watch surgeons perform surgery...
; aircraft of the Queen's Flight carried emergency medical equipment; and he carried a case containing medical supplies, a resuscitator
Resuscitator
A resuscitator is a device using positive pressure to inflate the lungs of an unconscious person who is not breathing, in order to keep them oxygenated and alive. There are three basic types: a manual version consisting of a mask and a large hand-squeezed plastic bulb using ambient air, or with...
and a defibrillator; but his services were seldom required. He also co-ordinated with local hospitals, and ensured that food served in host countries was acceptable. In Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
, he approved a local delicary, the gibnut (a large rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
). He was appointed CVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
in 1989, and advanced to KCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
and appointed an Extra Gentleman Usher in 1993, after his last royal tour to Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
.
After retiring from the Royal Navy in 1978, with the rank of Surgeon Captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
, he became professor of urology at Victoria University of Manchester
Victoria University of Manchester
The Victoria University of Manchester was a university in Manchester, England. On 1 October 2004 it merged with the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology to form a new entity, "The University of Manchester".-1851 - 1951:The University was founded in 1851 as Owens College,...
. He was based at the Withington Hospital
Withington Community Hospital
Withington Community Hospital is a hospital in south Manchester, England...
in south Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, where he set up the first NHS
National Health Service (England)
The National Health Service or NHS is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. It is both the largest and oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. It is able to function in the way that it does because it is primarily funded through the general taxation system, similar to how...
lithotriptor
Lithotriptor
Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy is a non-invasive treatment of kidney stones and biliary calculi using an acoustic pulse....
unit, using ultrasound
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is cyclic sound pressure with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing. Ultrasound is thus not separated from "normal" sound based on differences in physical properties, only the fact that humans cannot hear it. Although this limit varies from person to person, it is...
to break down kidney stone
Kidney stone
A kidney stone, also known as a renal calculus is a solid concretion or crystal aggregation formed in the kidneys from dietary minerals in the urine...
s. He published over 80 academic papers and contributed to numerous textbooks. He gave up his chair in 1992.
He died after a fall on the afternoon of his 50th wedding anniversary climbing up some stairs.