Obituary Mr Rainsford Mowlem

Press, 1 March 1986, Page 13

Obituary Mr Rainsford Mowlem

NZPA staff correspondent London A New Zealand plastic surgeon, Rainsford Mowlem, who pioneered new ways of treating wounds and burns during World War 11, has died at his home in Spain. He was 83, the “Daily Telegraph” reported. Mr Mowlem and two other New Zealanders, Harold Gillies and Archibald Mclndoe, dominated the development of plastic surgery in Britain. Mr Mowlem was educated in Auckland, and

trained as a surgeon at Middlesex Hospital, London. He was appointed head of the hospital’s plastic surgery unit in 1939 and held the post until his retirement in 1962. He was also consulting surgeon to several other hospitals. During World War 11, Mr Mowlem was detached from Middlesex to run one of three new plastic surgery units formed by the Government. The other two were headed Messrs by Gillies and

Mclndoe. Mr Mowlem’s unit at St Albans, north of London, dealt mainly with civilian injuries. A long-time professional . acquaintance, Raoul Sandon, told NZPA that the New Zealander’s most significant contribution at the centre was in the field of bone grafting. Mr Mowlem was a past president of the British Association of Plastic Surgeons and was an honorary member of similar associations throughout the world. He was the author of many works on plastic surgery.

Mr Sandon said Mr Mowlem was a thoughtful, reserved man whose opinion was often sought and always highly valued. Members of his unit almost deified him, he said.