Harold Gamsu
BMJ 2004; 329 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.329.7478.1347-a (Published 02 December 2004) Cite this as: BMJ 2004;329:1347Data supplement
Harold Gamsu
A pioneer in the development of neonatal intensive care
Harold Gamsu, professor of neonatology King’s College Hospital, London, 1965-93 (b Windhoek, Namibia, 1931; q Witwatersrand, South Africa, 1954; FRCP Ed, FRCP), died on 31 August 2004 from complications following abdominal surgery.Harold Gamsu was born in Windhoek, Namibia, the son of Russian Jewish émigrés, and was the first of his family to go to university. After qualifying he worked at the African State Hospital in Windhoek. He began his training in paediatrics with Professor R S Illingworth at Sheffield Children’s Hospital and then moved with his wife and four young children to Ohio, United States, to work with Dr F Robbins and Dr R Schwarz at the Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital. He then returned to work in Namibia before taking up a post in paediatrics at King’s College Hospital, London, subsequently becoming professor of neonatology.
Harold was a pioneer in the development of neonatal intensive care in the United Kingdom. In the course of the 30 years that he spent at King’s College Hospital, the neonatal unit became a nationally recognised centre of excellence. His contribution to the development of neonatal services and care in the region, and nationally, was considerable.
Harold was a founding member of the South East Thames Regional Perinatal Monitoring Group (RPMG) and its first chair. The RPMG provided multidisciplinary advice on maternity and neonatal care to the regional director of public health from 1977 to 1996. He established that there was a need for regional neonatal services and was instrumental in developing centres of excellence outside London. Hospital visits and an appraisal process ensured that quality of care was being maintained. The RPMG, in which Harold was prominent, guided developments and improvements in maternity and neonatal services for the region and sought to achieve consensus for major projects, such as the introduction of the first computer system for neonatal and maternal care. One of Harold’s strengths was that he tenaciously pursued projects from development through to implementation.
He also drove forward and chaired the South East Thames Confidential Review into Perinatal Deaths from 1987 to the advent of the national Confidential Enquiry into Stillbirths and Deaths in Infancy in 1992. Harold was instrumental in securing a regional study into the causes, management, and outcome of very low birthweight babies, which has accumulated many years of data, and he also initiated a national survey on necrotising enterocolitis. During his period of involvement with the British Association for Perinatal Medicine he was seen by colleagues as very determined, immensely hard working, and wise; "a gentle giant of a man."
As a clinician, he had exceptional skills and set himself very high standards; his core ethos was a holistic approach—considering the needs of the whole family. A testimony to his passionate and devoted care were the many messages of condolence and the presence of parents and children (now adults) at his funeral.
His clinical and research interests were wide-ranging and included: diabetic pregnancy; hypoglycaemia in the neonate; feeding the newborn—he developed one of the first breast milk banks in the country; hyaline membrane disease; infection, including cross infection between babies; the use of corticosteroids to prevent respiratory distress syndrome; and transport of the sick pre-term baby.
Harold understood how important it was to share the knowledge and expertise of the unit and to engage and enthuse the next generation of neonatal intensive care specialists—both nurses and doctors. He was an exceptional mentor and committed teacher.
He retained an international perspective, visiting and advising neonatal units in many countries, and encouraging colleagues to visit and learn from the medical and nursing expertise at King’s College Hospital. He went on to develop strong working and teaching links with some of these units, particularly in Lebanon and Greece. With Greece this turned into a 15 year love affair with the country, its people, and history.
Having worked and grown up in a system of apartheid in Namibia—which was then a protectorate of South Africa—and with his own understanding of the effects of anti-Semitism, he had a tremendous passion for the abolition of oppression, a commitment to equality, and a determination to help those in need. When working in Namibia, Harold’s great humanity and his ability to feel his way into the mindsets of others helped to defuse many crises caused by the deep racial tensions that existed at that time, and by the depredations of the apartheid regime, which meant that resources were scarce.
His Namibian and Jewish roots created the backdrop for lifelong interests in African and Jewish culture and history. He had a wide range of interests including art and music—appreciating a huge range from traditional African music, jazz, classical, and kletzma. He had also developed a medical approach to horticulture with a greenhouse drip system and post-holiday ward rounds, nurturing exotic seeds from the arid and beautiful landscape of Namibia.
Harold had a great love for his family, friends, and colleagues, but would treat all he met with warmth, respect, and interest. A colleague wrote after his death, "We first met you as a teacher and later you became an invaluable friend, but mainly you were the person who reminded us that we were not alone."
He will be missed greatly by his wife, Sheila; his four children; 10 grandchildren; and family and friends from around the world. [Mandy Gamsu and the Gamsu family, with contributions from colleagues
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See more
- Introductory AddressProv Med Surg J October 03, 1840, s1-1 (1) 1-4; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.s1-1.1.1
- Report of the Meeting of the Eastern Branch of the Provincial Association at Bury St. Edmond'sProv Med Surg J October 03, 1840, s1-1 (1) 10-13; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.s1-1.1.10
- Mr. Warburton's Bill for the Regulation of the Medical ProfessionProv Med Surg J October 03, 1840, s1-1 (1) 13-15; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.s1-1.1.13
- An Atlas of Plates, illustrative of the Principles and Practice of Obstetric Medicine and Surgery, with descriptive LetterpressProv Med Surg J October 03, 1840, s1-1 (1) 4; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.s1-1.1.4
- A Practical Treatise on the Diseases peculiar to Women, illustrated by Cases, &cProv Med Surg J October 03, 1840, s1-1 (1) 4-5; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.s1-1.1.4-a