David Wise

David Wise

As a junior doctor at St Thomas’s, David misdiagnosed a patient as having angiokeratoma corporis diffusum, a disease he had only read about. This led his chief to show him an actual case. Thus angiokeratoma became the subject of his MD thesis, which led to a fellowship at Johns Hopkins, under Victor McKusick, whom he admired enormously. He continued to treat angiokeratoma patients throughout his working life.

The son of two doctors, he felt it always a great privilege to be a doctor, and believed passionately in the NHS.

His other passions were for natural history and, eventually, his beloved parish of Crosthwaite, the area surrounding Keswick in Cumbria.

He had a TIA in 1990 and, a year later, a very major stroke, which caused him to spend nine months in hospital, partly in Pembury and partly in the Wolfson. This intensive care coupled with his very considerable determination got him back to walking up to a mile, climbing stairs, and driving a car with minimal adaptations. Back, too, to researching the local history of Crosthwaite, which necessitated regular commuting between the Lakes and the British Library.

Another, smallish, stroke did not put a stop to this for some time, but he gradually became weaker and unable to continue.

He became confined to his room and was nursed at home, chiefly by the excellent Tonbridge rapid response team, for something like the last five and a half years.

Dire warnings were issued from the time of the major stroke onwards as to the likely deterioration of David’s personality. This simply never happened.

He died from bronchopneumonia on Easter Monday, the sweet and patient man he had always been.

He leaves a son, Daniel; a daughter, Sarah; and his wife, me. [Patricia Wise]