MICHAEL HOBSLEY, M.D., PH.D.
1929-2016

Dr. Michael Hobsley, distinguished physician scientist, and devoted educator passed away on November 19, 2016. He was born on January 18, 1929 in Calcutta. He attended St. Saviour’s College in his hometown before travelling to England at the age of 16 to attend Sydney Sussex College in Cambridge, England where he obtained his medical degree. During his training as a registrar at the Middlesex Hospital, Dr. Hobsley was awarded a Ph.D. for his work on gastric secretion and became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. Dr. Hoblsey, an avid learner, was awarded a Master of Surgery degree from Cambridge University. He spent a sabbatical year at San Francisco General Hospital which fueled his interest in gastroenterology. Dr. Hobsley’s research included understanding the physiology and measurement of gastric secretion, the etiology of peptic ulcers, surgical vagotomy, and the dumping syndrome. He was appointed Professor in Surgical Studies at the Middlesex Hospital Medical School in 1975 and head of the Department of Surgery at the Middlesex and University College London in 1988. In addition to being a member of the American Surgical Association, Dr. Hobsley was Director at the Institute of Sports and Exercise Medicine, a Fellow of the Indian Surgical Association, and President of the British Society of Gastroenterology.

Dr. Hobsley was a devoted teacher, pioneering an algorithmic approach to surgery, and introducing the technologies of computer and video assisted techniques for distance learning so that other surgical students could learn from his expertise. He authored over 100 scientific papers and several widely adopted medical textbooks, including Pathways in Surgical Management, and the Colour Atlas of Parotidectomy. Even after retirement, Dr. Hobsley kept his mind busy by studying advanced mathematics and philosophical principles in pursuit of a fundamental truth for the puzzle of time. He was also a highly talented and accomplished composer and pianist.

KELLY HUNT, M.D.
HANNAH WINGATE, PH.D.