Raymond Hoffenberg
Encyclopedia
Sir Raymond Hoffenberg KBE
(16 March 1923 – 22 April 2007) was an endocrinologist
who specialised in the study of the thyroid
. Born in South Africa
, he was forced to leave in 1968, and settled in the United Kingdom
, where he was President
of the Royal College of Physicians
from 1983 to 1989, and President of Wolfson College, Oxford
from 1985 to 1993.
Hoffenberg was born and educated in Port Elizabeth in South Africa
. He was a brilliant student, and studied medicine at the University of Cape Town
from 1939, aged only 16. He was also an active sportsman, taking part in tennis
, golf
, squash
, boxing
, and rugby.
He enlisted in the Union Defence Force
in 1942, serving as a stretcher bearer in the Second World War in North Africa
and Italy
in the 6th South African Armoured Division. He returned to South Africa to complete his degrees, MB and ChB
, in 1948. He was an intern at Groote Schuur Hospital
, and then a lecturer at the University of Cape Town Medical School. He married his first wife, Margaret Rosenberg in 1949, and they lived in Newlands
. They had two sons.
He spent some time serving under Albert Schweitzer
at Lambaréné
in French Equatorial Africa
(now Gabon
), and travelled to the United States
in 1957–8 under a Carnegie Fellowship, and started to specialise in endocrinology. He obtained his M.D.
in 1957 and PhD
in 1968. He was a lecturer at the Department of Medicine at the University of Cape Town from 1955 to 1967. He also continued to practise medicine at Groote Schuur Hospital, where he was involved preparing for Christiaan Barnard
's first heart transplant operation in 1967.
He ran into political difficulties in South Africa. He opposed the apartheid policies of the National Party
, and supported Alan Paton
's Liberal Party, which he had joined in 1953. He had been a friend Paton and of the party's chairman, Peter Brown
, since they were students together in Cape Town, and was also a friend of Paton. He supported the National Union of South African Students
, and was chairman of the Defence and Aid Fund, which funded the defence of those accused of political crimes and supported their families, until it was banned in 1966. In July 1967, the Prime Minister
John Vorster passed a banning order under the Suppression of Communism Act
which prohibited him from all political and social activity for 5 years. By now, he had an international reputation as a leading endocrinologist, and the banning order led to widespread protest.
He and his family were given an "exit permit" to leave South Africa in 1968, on condition that they did not come back. He moved to the United Kingdom, where he continued to lend support to the campaign against apartheid. The exiled Oliver Tambo
was a patient for many years.
He worked for the National Medical Health and Research Council at Mill Hill
in north London, and at the thyroid
clinic at New End Hospital
in Hampstead
, for four years from 1968. He became professor of medicine at Birmingham University in 1972, where he developed an outstanding endocrine department. He became President of Wolfson College, Oxford
in 1985.
Meanwhile, he was President of the Royal College of Physicians
from 1983 to 1989, publicly disagreeing with the Conservative
government's policy of introducing an internal market into the National Health Service
. He was appointed KBE
in 1984. He was also president of the International Society for Endocrinology, chairman of the British Heart Foundation
, and chairman of the Medical Campaign Against Nuclear War and later vice-president of its successor, MEDACT
. He held six honorary doctorates, and was a fellow of seven learned societies. After the Alder Hey organs scandal
came to light in 1999, he courted controversy by arguing for the medical benefits from retaining tissue samples from post-mortem examinations.
He retired in 1993, and he and his wife joined his two sons in Australia
. He moved to Queensland
, where he was professor of medical ethics at the University of Queensland
from 1993 to 1995.
After the death of his first wife in 2005, he married Gräfin Madeleine Douglas in 2006. He died in Oxford
. He was survived by his second wife, and his two sons from his first marriage.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(16 March 1923 – 22 April 2007) was an endocrinologist
Endocrinology
Endocrinology is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions called hormones, the integration of developmental events such as proliferation, growth, and differentiation and the coordination of...
who specialised in the study of the thyroid
Thyroid
The thyroid gland or simply, the thyroid , in vertebrate anatomy, is one of the largest endocrine glands. The thyroid gland is found in the neck, below the thyroid cartilage...
. Born in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, he was forced to leave in 1968, and settled in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, where he was President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the Royal College of Physicians
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
from 1983 to 1989, and President of Wolfson College, Oxford
Wolfson College, Oxford
Wolfson College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Located in north Oxford along the River Cherwell, Wolfson is an all-graduate college with over sixty governing body fellows, in addition to both research and junior research fellows. It caters to a wide range of...
from 1985 to 1993.
Hoffenberg was born and educated in Port Elizabeth in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. He was a brilliant student, and studied medicine at the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
from 1939, aged only 16. He was also an active sportsman, taking part in tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
, boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, and rugby.
He enlisted in the Union Defence Force
South African Army
The South African Army is the army of South Africa, first formed after the Union of South Africa was created in 1910.The South African military evolved within the tradition of frontier warfare fought by commando forces, reinforced by the Afrikaners' historical distrust of large standing armies...
in 1942, serving as a stretcher bearer in the Second World War in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in the 6th South African Armoured Division. He returned to South Africa to complete his degrees, MB and ChB
CHB
CHB may refer to:*Centre for the history of the book University of Edinburgh*Centre half-back in Australian rules football*CHB Bank of South Korea*Champion Homes, NASDAQ symbol CHB*Chang Hwa Bank of Taiwan*Children's Hospital Boston*Chronic Hepatitis B...
, in 1948. He was an intern at Groote Schuur Hospital
Groote Schuur Hospital
Groote Schuur Hospital is a large, government-funded, teaching hospital situated on the slopes of Devil's Peak in the city of Cape Town, South Africa...
, and then a lecturer at the University of Cape Town Medical School. He married his first wife, Margaret Rosenberg in 1949, and they lived in Newlands
Newlands, Cape Town
Newlands is an upmarket suburb of Cape Town, South Africa.It is located at the foot of Table Mountain in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, and is the wettest suburb in South Africa due to its high winter rainfall...
. They had two sons.
He spent some time serving under Albert Schweitzer
Albert Schweitzer
Albert Schweitzer OM was a German theologian, organist, philosopher, physician, and medical missionary. He was born in Kaysersberg in the province of Alsace-Lorraine, at that time part of the German Empire...
at Lambaréné
Lambaréné
Lambaréné is the capital of the political district Moyen-Ogooué in Gabon. The city counts 24,000 inhabitants and is located 75 kilometres south of the equator....
in French Equatorial Africa
French Equatorial Africa
French Equatorial Africa or the AEF was the federation of French colonial possessions in Middle Africa, extending northwards from the Congo River to the Sahara Desert.-History:...
(now Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
), and travelled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1957–8 under a Carnegie Fellowship, and started to specialise in endocrinology. He obtained his M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
in 1957 and PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1968. He was a lecturer at the Department of Medicine at the University of Cape Town from 1955 to 1967. He also continued to practise medicine at Groote Schuur Hospital, where he was involved preparing for Christiaan Barnard
Christiaan Barnard
Christiaan Neethling Barnard was a South African cardiac surgeon who performed the world's first successful human-to-human heart transplant.- Early life :...
's first heart transplant operation in 1967.
He ran into political difficulties in South Africa. He opposed the apartheid policies of the National Party
National Party (South Africa)
The National Party is a former political party in South Africa. Founded in 1914, it was the governing party of the country from 4 June 1948 until 9 May 1994. Members of the National Party were sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a...
, and supported Alan Paton
Alan Paton
Alan Stewart Paton was a South African author and anti-apartheid activist.-Family:Paton was born in Pietermaritzburg, Natal Province , the son of a minor civil servant. After attending Maritzburg College, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Natal in his hometown, followed...
's Liberal Party, which he had joined in 1953. He had been a friend Paton and of the party's chairman, Peter Brown
Peter Brown (South African politician)
Peter McKenzie Brown was a founding member of the Liberal Party of South Africa and succeeded Alan Paton as its national chairman in 1958....
, since they were students together in Cape Town, and was also a friend of Paton. He supported the National Union of South African Students
National Union of South African Students
The National Union of South African Students was an important force for Liberalism in South Africa in the latter part of the last century...
, and was chairman of the Defence and Aid Fund, which funded the defence of those accused of political crimes and supported their families, until it was banned in 1966. In July 1967, the Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
John Vorster passed a banning order under the Suppression of Communism Act
Suppression of Communism Act
The Suppression of Communism Act, No. 44 of 1950 was legislation of the national government in South Africa, passed on June 26 of that year , which formally banned the Communist Party of South Africa and proscribed the ideology of communism, defined by the government as any scheme that aimed "at...
which prohibited him from all political and social activity for 5 years. By now, he had an international reputation as a leading endocrinologist, and the banning order led to widespread protest.
He and his family were given an "exit permit" to leave South Africa in 1968, on condition that they did not come back. He moved to the United Kingdom, where he continued to lend support to the campaign against apartheid. The exiled Oliver Tambo
Oliver Tambo
Oliver Reginald Tambo was a South African anti-apartheid politician and a central figure in the African National Congress .-Biography:Oliver Tambo was born in Bizana in eastern Pondoland in what is now Eastern Cape...
was a patient for many years.
He worked for the National Medical Health and Research Council at Mill Hill
Mill Hill
Mill Hill is a place in the London Borough of Barnet. It is a suburb situated 9 miles north west of Charing Cross. Mill Hill was in the historic county of Middlesex until it was absorbed by London...
in north London, and at the thyroid
Thyroid
The thyroid gland or simply, the thyroid , in vertebrate anatomy, is one of the largest endocrine glands. The thyroid gland is found in the neck, below the thyroid cartilage...
clinic at New End Hospital
New End Hospital
New End Hospital was a hospital in Hampstead, north London. It was founded in 1800 as a poor house, and operated until 1986. The buildings have now been redeveloped as housing.-History:...
in Hampstead
Hampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
, for four years from 1968. He became professor of medicine at Birmingham University in 1972, where he developed an outstanding endocrine department. He became President of Wolfson College, Oxford
Wolfson College, Oxford
Wolfson College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Located in north Oxford along the River Cherwell, Wolfson is an all-graduate college with over sixty governing body fellows, in addition to both research and junior research fellows. It caters to a wide range of...
in 1985.
Meanwhile, he was President of the Royal College of Physicians
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
from 1983 to 1989, publicly disagreeing with the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
government's policy of introducing an internal market into the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
. He was appointed KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1984. He was also president of the International Society for Endocrinology, chairman of the British Heart Foundation
British Heart Foundation
The British Heart Foundation is a charity organisation in Britain that funds research, education, care and awareness campaigns aimed to prevent heart diseases in humans.-Foundation:...
, and chairman of the Medical Campaign Against Nuclear War and later vice-president of its successor, MEDACT
MEDACT
Medact is an organisation of British health professionals concerned with nuclear proliferation and other problems of a global nature.-History:...
. He held six honorary doctorates, and was a fellow of seven learned societies. After the Alder Hey organs scandal
Alder Hey organs scandal
The Alder Hey organs scandal involved the unauthorised removal, retention, and disposal of human tissue, including children’s organs, during the period 1988 to 1995...
came to light in 1999, he courted controversy by arguing for the medical benefits from retaining tissue samples from post-mortem examinations.
He retired in 1993, and he and his wife joined his two sons in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. He moved to Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, where he was professor of medical ethics at the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
from 1993 to 1995.
After the death of his first wife in 2005, he married Gräfin Madeleine Douglas in 2006. He died in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. He was survived by his second wife, and his two sons from his first marriage.
External links
- Photograph at the National Portrait Gallery