Gustav (“Gus”) Siegmund Plaut
BMJ 2006; 332 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.332.7546.918-b (Published 13 April 2006) Cite this as: BMJ 2006;332:918Data supplement
Gustav ("Gus") Siegmund Plaut
Former general practitioner Tooting, London (b 1921; q Cambridge/The London Hospital 1947; FRCS, FRCGP, TD), died on 17 January 2006.Gustav Siegmund Plaut ("Gus"), who died on 17 January 2006, was a man who devoted his life to the wellbeing of others, both through his chosen career as a doctor and through his dedication to charitable causes.
Gus was born on 2 September 1921 to Ellen (née Warburg) and Theodor Plaut in Hamburg, Germany. Both parents belonged to distinguished banking families. He attended a local private school but often had to stay at home because of asthma. His family belonged to the Liberal Jewish Synagogue in Hamburg, and Gus continued in this tradition throughout his life. The rise of Nazism led to Theodor being dismissed from his university position. He applied and was accepted for a position as professor of economics at Hull University. The family moved to Hull, and Gus was admitted to Hymers College at the age of 12. After the war started, Gus and his family had to leave Hull because of the bombing and moved to York. His mother Ellen developed cancer and died soon after in a York hospital.
Gus went up to Cambridge University in 1940 (Gonville and Caius College), where he read natural sciences, gaining a double first. After taking his degree he went to the London Hospital, winning a Price Entrance Scholarship and later an Andrew Clarke Prize in Clinical Medicine. After completing medical studies Gus was called up and served as a senior surgical specialist in the Army Emergency Reserve, spending some time in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He returned on compassionate leave when his father had a heart attack. His father died on 14 November 1948. Gus then pursued a career as a surgeon. He first was appointed as a junior orthopaedic registrar at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, later working as a neurological house surgeon and receiving room officer at The London Hospital. After his time at the London Hospital he worked as resident surgical officer at the Kent and Sussex Hospital and surgical registrar at the Chase Farm Hospital, Enfield, and the Gordon Hospital, London. He was then taken on by the Anglo-Ecuadorian Oil Fields as a locum surgeon, and spent an eventful time dealing with numerous "unusual conditions," and travelling widely in South America. Despite his excellent qualifications and experience Gus’s German-Jewish background made it difficult to find jobs. He decided to become a general practitioner (he later became a fellow of the Royal College of Practioners to add to his Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons) and after over a hundred applications, secured a position in Tooting, where he worked between 1960 and 1986. It was there that he met his wife Ivy. They were married in 1977 and spent many happy years together before her death in 1999. While there, he was also active in the Territorial Army, and in due course was awarded a Territorial Decoration.
Gus retired at first to York, where he lived in the same house that his family had occupied in 1940, and then to Halstead in Essex. In his retirement Gus proved a keen correspondent and wrote numerous papers for the BMJ and other magazines.
Gus’s relatively wealthy background could have meant that he led a life of comfort and ease but he was an extremely modest man and preferred a frugal lifestyle. Such was his modesty that even those who knew him well only caught a glimpse of the huge amount of charitable work he undertook. He set up a charitable trust and over the years made thousands of donations anonymously to charities and those in need. In addition, wherever he lived he was actively involved in charitable work. For example, in Halstead he was the local secretary of the SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association) and the treasurer of PROBUS (the club for retired professional and business people). He was also involved, inter alia, with the Age Concern Drop-in Centre, Halstead in Bloom, and the University of the Third Age. He was a keen Rotarian (he was appointed a Paul Harris Fellow) and was president of the Rotary Club in Balham, York, and Halstead. In recent years Gus greatly enjoyed supporting the Jubilee Sailing Trust and sailed several times on their tall ships.
Gus enjoyed social occasions, was very supportive to his wider family, and had tremendous joie de vivre. He survived a heartattack in his late 40s, and several bouts of bowel cancer. More recently, he had several operations on his spine. He attributed his longevity to keeping fit, which he did with a vengeance inspiring many much younger than himself, by swimming a half-mile to a mile per day.
His memorial service will be held at 3 pm on Sunday 18 June 2006 at the South London Liberal Synagogue, Prentis Road, London SW16. [William Carver]
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