James Dundas-Grant

James Dundas-Grant KBE, MD, FRCSEd, FRCS (13 June 1854– 13 November 1944) was a British ear, nose and throat surgeon. He was surgeon to a number of London hospitals and surgeon to several institutions. He was regarded as a prolific writer abouta variety of topics within his speciality and devised a number of surgical instruments. In addition to his clinical practice he was president of several surgicalspeciality societies and was knighted in 1920.

James Dundas-Grant was born in Edinburgh in 1854. His father was James Dundas-Grant, an Edinburgh advocate and his mother Louise Elizabeth Dundas-Grant (née Chapuy). He went to school at the Edinburgh Academy and finished his schooling at Dunkirk Collegein northern France. He matriculated as an undergraduate at theUniversity of Edinburgh graduating Master of Arts (MA) in 1873. He then studied for a short time at the University ofWurzburg in Bavaria before matriculating in the University of Edinburgh Medical School graduating MB CM in 1876. He was a house officer at the Edinburgh Royal Maternity Hospital thenwent on to set up in general practice in London. He had hospital attachments to Poplar Hospital and the Shadwell Lying-in Home andwas able to attend clinics atLondon teaching hospitals, where his interest in oto-larygology began. He graduated MD with honours from the University of Edinburgh in 1879. His first post in his chosen speciality was asa surgical registrar at the Central LondonNose, Throat, and Ear Hospital (later the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital).

Dundas-Grant became pathologist and then surgeon at the Central LondonNose, Throat, and Ear Hospital. He became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (FRCSEd) in 1884 and of the Royal College of Surgeons of England six years later. He was also surgeon to the Brompton Hospital, the West End Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, the Freemasons' Hospital and the Sussex Throat and Ear Hospital.at Brighton. During WWI he was oto-laryngologist to several military hospitals including the King George Military Hospital, Lord Knutsford's Hospitals and the Russian Hospital for Officers. He also served as a surgeon-major in the reserve regiment the 24th Middlesex (Post Office) Rifle Volunteers and was medical officer to the London division of the National Reserve Corps.

He was a prolific writer contributing articles on a wide range of topics within his speciality. His knowledge of the specialty wasregarded by colleagues as encyclopaedic.He had a particular panache for devising surgicalinstruments, several of which were widely used.

Dundas-Grant had a lifelong passion for music and was surgeon to the Royal Academy of Music and aural surgeon to the Royal Society of Musicians. A favourite pastime was conducting an orchestra which he had formed.

In 1917 he was made director of the aural clinics of the Ministry of Pensions and was appointed senior consultant to the ministry.

Dundas-Grant was a vice-president of the Royal Institution, president of the Section of Laryngology of the Royal Society of Medicine, president of the Section of Laryngology and Otology of the British Medical Association and president of the Hunterian Society. He was made an honorary member of specialist societies in France, Belgium, Germany and the United States. He was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the 1920 Birthday Honours.

He marriedHelen Frith in 1890. They had two sons.

A street accident in 1944 took its toll on his health and he died in London on 13 November 1944.

• Labyrinth tests. Medical Press(1922), 103, 501.
• Enlarged tonsils and adenoids. West London Medical Journal. (1924), 29, 1.
• Catarrhal deafness. Practitioner, (1925), 64, 385.
• Tuberculosis and cancer of the larynx. Clinical Journal. (1925), 54, 469.
• Aphonia of Forty-four Years' Duration caused by Inhalation of a Stud, requiring Tracheotomy: Proc R Soc Med. 1934 Jul;27(9):1275.PMID 19989888
• Simplified Method of Determining Percentage of Actual Hearing-power in Tuning-fork Tests Proc R Soc Med. 1934 Feb;27(4):419-24. PMID 19989696
• Forcible nasal inspiration Br Med J. 1933 Feb 4;1(3761):183-4.
• Carcinoma of Right Vocal Cord removed by Laryngofissure. Proc R Soc Med. 1931 Jun;24(8):1033-4. PMID 19988187