George Riddoch (1888–1947): the driving force behind the treatment of spinal injuries in the UK during the Second World War

• Main Authors: JR Silver, M-F Silver
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh 2018-09-01
• Series: The Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
• Subjects: George Riddoch; Ludwig Guttmann; Second World War; spinal injury units; Stoke Mandeville Hospital
• Online Access: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/sites/default/files/jrcpe_48_3_silver.pdf

The development of the successful treatment of spinal injuries has been inextricably linked to Sir Ludwig Guttmann and Stoke Mandeville Hospital. The role of George Riddoch has largely been ignored or mentioned merely in relation to Ludwig Guttmann and his appointment as the first Resident Medical Officer at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Riddoch’s contribution was far more significant. New material, comprising Riddoch’s letters and memoranda written between 1939 and 1944, reveals his paramount involvement in the setting up of spinal injury units across the UK between 1941 and 1944, and his skill as an administrator and a clinician. Riddoch must be given credit for finding and appointing Ludwig Guttmann.