Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Allan Watt Downie, 5 September 1901 - 26 January 1988

1990; Royal Society; Volume: 35; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1098/rsbm.1990.0004

1748-8494

D. A. J. Tyrrell, Kelly McCarthy,

Global Health Workforce Issues

Allan Downie was bom on 5 September 1901 and brought up on Mid Street in Rosehearty, Aberdeenshire, a village on the coast where his father, William, and grandfather had been fishermen. His mother, Margaret, was the daughter of a fisherman from Fife. He and his identical twin brother, Richard, were fifth in a family of eight boys and one girl. William John, the eldest brother of the twins, continued in the fishing tradition, sailing his own steam drifter till his retirement half way through this century. Allan recalled his childhood as being relatively happy and carefree, and, not surprisingly, many of his activities were linked up with the sea, such as sailing, fishing, swimming and exploring the rocky shoreline. He continued these interests through life and went bird-watching and fishing whenever he could. He was also a sportsman, representing Aberdeen University at football, water polo and golf, and played club football until middle age, tennis when opportunity offered and golf almost up to his death. Indeed he treasured the headline in a local newspaper when he left the University ‘Noted local golfer retires’. The twins were educated first at the local elementary school and their mother recognized their ability at an early stage. The dedicated headmaster gave them extra tuition in Latin and mathematics outside school hours. He also recognized the talent of Allan and his brother, and visited their parents to urge them to send them on to Frazerburgh Academy for secondary education. They were there from 1915 to 1918 and then went on to Aberdeen University Medical School. It is recorded that the two of them took many of the prizes for their year, Allan in Physiology, Obstetrics and Operative Surgery and his brother in Anatomy and Surgery, and in 1923 they both graduated with first class honours, but it is believed that they swept up other prizes as well.