Speaker for 10th April 2018
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The club is shocked and saddened to learn of the death of Prof. Hugh McGavock on April 17th 2018, suddenly at Antrim Hospital,
Prof. Hugh was the dearly beloved husband of Elizabeth: the much loved father of James, Samuel and Philip; father-in-law of Susan; very dear grandad of Jamie and Beth; and the brother of Ray and Ann.
The Funeral Service is on Saturday at 12noon in First Kilraughts Presbyterian Church, and the burial afterwards, is in Ballywillan Cemetery, Portrush.
House private. Donations in lieu of flowers, if desired, can be made out to 'Chest, Heart & Stroke' c/o DJM Robinson & Son 121, Culcrum Road, Cloughmills BT44 9DT.
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Coleraine Probus and the amazing changes in medicine
The members of the Coleraine Probus were privileged to host Prof. Hugh McGavock, when he came along to speak to the club on 'The Golden Age of Medicine'. They soon realised that they had all witnessed an historic period in our nations health, without which, many of the members would quite simply not been alive today!
Prof. McGavock said that in the 1960s he was very lucky to have been able to study medicine for six years at Queens University. He then went on to act as a houseman in the teaching hospitals in Belfast. Prior to this time medical wards offered a bleak prospect of successful treatment, but the standard of care given by the staff was exemplary. This was (in his eyes) 'the Golden Age of Nursing'.
In the 60s, Hugh said patients were mainly in hospital to die with dignity, and with the least suffering possible. He went on to describe some of the then common treatments patients endured, these were almost 'barbaric' by modern day standards. Most illnesses of that period are now curable using a broad spectrum of antibiotics and other treatments. The development of these medicines and treatments in the '60s to '80s can only be described as 'the Golden Age of Medicine'.
New treatments developed in that 20 year period for common illnesses such as heart failure, bronchitis, lung disease, kidney failure, chronic and rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, diabetes and even cancer, meant that patients generally walked out of hospital, not carried out!. British pure science underpinned these improvements and Hugh was most enthusiastic as he outlined the development of the 'miracle drugs' this had produced. A good (and local) example, was the pioneering work on Diabetes that was, and is, carried out in our own Causeway Hospital.
Although Hugh has now been retired for several years, his enthusiasm for his work has not diminished and this was picked up by the club members. Many looked back on the treatments they had received, the cures they had taken for granted, and realised that without people like Prof. McGavock, they may not have been around to listen to the talk and that many Probus members are living proof of 'The Golden Age of Medicine'.
(Many thanks to Graham for the help with this report)
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Extra information:-
Professor Hugh McGavock, in his later working life, was Professor of Prescribing Science at the University of Ulster and a member of the Committee on Safety of Medicines
He is the author of several books and research papers, including the 'essential' teaching guide “How Drugs Work: Basic Pharmacology for Health Professionals" (currently in its Fourth Edition) and the influential (to say nothing of 'helpful') - "Pitfalls in Prescribing and How to Avoid Them".
In an article published a few years ago he warned that antibiotics could become useless in as little as 12 years, and blamed over-prescribing in the medical profession and farming for the reduction in the effectiveness of drugs. In a radio interview, he told BBC Radio Five Live that this could lead to thousands of people dying from treatable illnesses in the future. He claimed the crisis was a big as Aids, estimating that people could be resistant to all antibiotics within the foreseeable future, the BBC reported. While agreeing it was a problem, government adviser Prof Roger Finch said measures were in place to tackle it. (we certainly hope so!!! - WebEd)
