Thomas Davidson Veitch Lawrie

Thomas Davidson Veitch Lawrie, who died a few days before his 95th birthday, was appointed to the inaugural Walton chair of medical cardiology at the University of Glasgow, based at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, in 1966. He held the post until 1985.

He was born in the Springburn area of Glasgow and attended Whitehill Secondary School, where he was dux. He graduated from the University of Glasgow with BSc (Hons) in 1940 and MB ChB in 1943. War service followed where he served with the Royal Army Medical Corps in India and Burma.

On his return to the UK he decided on a career in hospital medicine, with cardiology as his specialty. His potential was recognised by J H Wright, who had the foresight to establish cardiology, firstly as a major clinical speciality, and subsequently as an academic discipline. He appointed VL, as Veitch Lawrie came to be known, as a member of …