British Medical Journal/1924/Robert Guthrie Poole Lansdown

ROBERT GUTHRIE POOLE LANSDOWN, M.D., B.S.,
Consulting Surgeon to the Bristol General Hospital.

We have to record with much regret the death of Mr. R. G. P. Lansdown, which occurred suddenly at his residence in Clifton on February 17th, at the age of 60.

Robert Guthrie Poole Lansdown was born in Bristol and received his education at Clifton College and Epsom College, at University College, Bristol, and at Guy's Hospital and Newcastle-on-Tyne. In 1889 he obtained the diplomas of M.R.C.S.Eng., L.R.C.P.Lond., and graduated M.B., B.S. at the University of Durham, proceeding M.D. in 1891. At Guy's he held the resident appointments of house-surgeon and resident obstetric officer. He settled to practise in Bristol in 1891, and was shortly afterwards elected assistant surgeon to the Bristol General Hospital, to which institution his father and grandfather had been honorary surgeons. In 1896 he was elected full surgeon. He held the post of lecturer in practical surgery at University College, Bristol, and later at the University of Bristol, where he was also clinical lecturer in surgery, and had been chairman of the Medical Board. He had represented the Bristol General Hospital on the Court of the University.

In the autumn of 1923 Mr. Lansdown resigned from the active staff of the General Hospital, where he was then senior surgeon and dean, and was elected honorary consulting surgeon. In his earlier days he had been surgeon captain in the Gloucestershire Garrison Artillery Volunteers, and during the war he served on the staff of the 2nd Southern General Hospital, Bristol, with the rank of major, R.A.M. C. (T.F.). For twenty-four years he had been honorary surgeon to the Clergy Daughters' School, Bristol, and for some years had been medical officer to the Bristol postal staff. He was a governor of the Queen Victoria Jubilee Convalescent Home and took a keen interest in that institution. In 1883 he received the bronze medal of the Royal Humane Society for the gallant rescue of a lady from drowning at Torquay.

Mr. Lansdown was an excellent surgeon whose opinion was highly valued by his professional brethren. He was a first-rate teacher, as many generations of students in Bristol can testify. He worked indefatigably at the 2nd Southern General Hospital during the war, yet always managed to put in his full time at his civil hospital duties. He was an active member of the British Medical Association, having been a member of the council of the Bath and Bristol Branch from 1903 to 1906, and president of the Branch from 1915 to 1918. His father, the late Dr. Francis Poole Lansdown, had been president of this Branch in 1891. Mr. Lansdown was president of the Bristol Medico-Chirurgical Society in 1918-19.

He was an enthusiastic amateur photographer, and had been president of the Bristol and West of England Amateur Photographic Association. Only two days before his death he delivered a lecture on Switzerland, illustrated with lantern slides from his own photographs. As an amateur actor he achieved great distinction in character parts; he could recite a dialect story inimitably, and could sing a good song. For many years he sang in the choir of St. Paul's Church, Clifton. Robert Lansdown was a loyal and considerate colleague and an entertaining companion gifted with a rich sense of humour. He knew the secret of keeping all his friends and made no enemies. He leaves a widow, a son (Dr. R. B. P. Lansdown, who is in practice at Coulsdon), and a daughter.