John Wickham

It was a neurosurgical house job in the early 1950s that proved a watershed moment for John Wickham. On his return to general surgery he was shocked by the “great slashes and blood and guts everywhere.”1 “When I came back to ordinary surgery I was just disgusted . . . I mean if you could be that delicate in neurosurgery, why couldn’t [general surgery] be the same?” he told an interviewer in 2012.1

He specialised in urology as he was interested in new developments, such as kidney dialysis and transplantation, but much of his work as a trainee surgeon focused on the removal of kidney stones. The standard operation at the time entailed making a large incision, leaving the patient with a “socking great gash,”1 having to take a month off work, and spending a week or so in hospital. All for the removal of a few tiny stones.

Wickham thought that there must be a better way. The breakthrough came when he teamed up with radiologist Michael Kellett, who was also interested in causing less trauma to the patient.