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Obituaries

Julian Tudor Hart: visionary general practitioner who introduced the concept of the “inverse care law”

BMJ 2018; 362 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k3052 (Published 11 July 2018) Cite this as: BMJ 2018;362:k3052

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Re: Julian Tudor Hart: visionary general practitioner who introduced the concept of the “inverse care law”

I was a medical student in the mid 1970's and one of our teachers Dr Ian Scott had worked with Julian and told us about the inverse care law. The idea struck me like a bolt of lightening and has stayed with me throughout my clinical career. It was the most profound statement in health care. Sadly it still applies and perhaps will always apply. Clinicians need to be aware of and attempt to ensure it does not impinge on the care of individual patients and ensuring that we seek out those less advantaged. In 2015 I was able to make contact with him and while on sabbatical in the UK made a special trip to Wales where we had lunch with Julian and Mary. It was a highlight of my medical career and shared it with my wife and one of my adult daughters who has a masters degree in public health. A special moment for her. He was able to talk about his work and his time with Archie Cochrane among others. A life well lived.

Competing interests: No competing interests

21 July 2018
Bruce Arroll
Professor of General Practice
University of Auckland
Department of General Practice University of Auckland