Timothy Greville Ashworth
BMJ 2003; 326 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.326.7390.662/a (Published 22 March 2003) Cite this as: BMJ 2003;326:662Data supplement
Timothy Greville Ashworth
Consultant histopathologist Walsgrave Hospital, Coventry, 1977-95 and Home Office pathologist 1984-95 (b 1931; q University of Cape Town 1956), died from a ruptured dissecting aneurysm of the aorta, causing cardiac tamponade, on 3 September 2002.
In 1959 he joined the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland’s health service as a government medical officer. He came to England in 1967 to study pathology at the Hammersmith Hospital, passed the diploma in clinical pathology, and returned to Zimbabwe, where he was appointed lecturer at the University of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. From 1968 to 1977 he was lecturer, senior lecturer, and eventually head of the department of pathology. He was offered a professorship at the University of Rhodesia and Nyasaland but declined as he had decided to leave war-torn Rhodesia. He moved his family to England in 1977 and was appointed consultant histopathologist at the Walsgrave Hospital, Coventry.
He was very keen to delegate responsibilities to appropriately trained technical staff and help them to develop their skills. He recognised the great virtue of medical laboratory scientific officers performing the "cut up" procedure in hospital laboratories, thus saving the valuable time of consultant pathologists. When clinical pathology accreditation was denied to the pathology laboratory at Walsgrave Hospital because of this practice, he wrote an article expressing his view about the issues involved and duly submitted it for publication. The BMJ published it as a personal view (BMJ 1994;309:417) and it caused a furore. But after the dust had settled, and after much debate, the Royal College of Pathologists sanctioned a practice that was considered unthinkable only a few years ago.
He was a well read person who travelled widely and very much enjoyed the cultural side of life. He also loved Africa and its people. Most of his working life was spent in Africa in various capacities, which he enjoyed immensely, and this endowed him with a wealth of knowledge, experience, and expertise, which he successfully employed during his time in Coventry.
After his retirement he became involved in a charity project in Zambia (the Kasanka Trust) set up to care for the health needs of the indigenous population and worked tirelessly to raise funds, visiting Zambia at least twice a year to oversee the project. He had only recently returned from his last trip when he died suddenly at home. He is survived by a wife, two daughters, a son, and a granddaughter. [Tapas Guha]
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