The BAPRAS Collection - Reidy and Calnan

Joseph Patrick Reidy

In September 1957 JP Reidy attended the 21^st South Africa Medical Congress, giving a plenary speech on ‘ The Surgery of Repair’.  The BAPRAS Collection has the handwritten paper he delivered at this event, as well as notes he made during the Congress. Sadly, we don’t have the event programme, but it is interesting to examine the notes Reidy took at the time. The very act of taking a note during a lecture or presentation highlights the topics’ worth in the note takers mind; so from these we can glean what sparked the interest of this notable plastic surgeon with an already established career.

The Reidy archive also contains documents from his studies at Cambridge University, such as his examination records.  Perhaps the most unique item we have is a small notebook entitled ‘Surgical Ideas 1929’.  In it, Reidy made notes and diagrams inspired during his training.  It is fascinating to connect with his dynamic mind through items such as this.  They create images of a young and energetic surgeon ready to make their mark in this field of surgery.

JP Reidy qualified MRCS in 1932.  He performed civilian surgical duties at RAF Hospital, Halton and in London during WW2.  In 1942 he started working as a trainee in the new plastic surgery unit, established by Kilner, at Stoke Mandeville.  He took over as director of this unit in 1957 and stayed in the role until his retirement in 1972.  Reidy was an authority in cleft lip and palate surgery and rhinoplasty.  He had a gentle manner with patients and recognised the relationship between psychological and physical health, particularly within plastic surgery.  He was a founding member of BAPS and was president in 1962.

James Stanislaus Calnan

James Calnan was a reputable writer as well as a prolific plastic surgeon. He had 7 books published and 21 papers accepted in the BJPS and JPRAS.  He demonstrated a profound interest in the history of our specialty through his writing. His books included a work on the history of Hammermith hospital where he was a consultant; an academic history of plastic surgery; and ‘Two Chairs of Plastic Surgery’, being a history of the plastic surgery chairs in Oxford and London, both of which he held. 

The BAPRAS Collection has Calnan’s handwritten notes, as well as correspondence with editors of JPRAS and colleagues, exchanged in the process of writing ‘BAPS: The First Forty years’ upon which he advised and consulted.  The handwritten notes in the Calnan archive connect us with the man in a very immediate way.  Calnan wrote notes on scraps of paper and even envelopes as he hastily recorded ideas for research and his projects.

Among Calnan’s publications are several practical texts promoting best practice and nurturing the specialty by supporting colleagues’ clinical practice and research.  These include ‘ How to speak at medical meetings’, ‘ Writing papers and research’ and ‘Talking with patients’. 

 Calnan did military service in India and France, eventually becoming Squadron Medical Officer and anaesthetist specialist in the RAF.  He was senior lecturer to the Nuffield Department of Plastic Surgery at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford under the direction of Peet and Kilner. In 1959 he was appointed Lecturer in Experimental Plastic Surgery at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School within the Hammersmith Hospital, later becoming Director of the new Experimental Surgery Unit, a post which unified all the surgically related research departments there.  He was awarded the Mowlem Prize by the BAPS in 1962 for the greatest contribution to plastic surgery in the previous four years.

The Calnan archive will be available at Congress 2022 on The BAPRAS Collection stand for attendees to view and browse.