Reminiscences from a Fenland practice.

Abstract

Wisbech, in North Cambridgeshire, is a small market town noted for its splendid Georgian houses on the Brinks beside the River Nene, its apple orchards, and in June and July its fields of straw? berries and roses. It has a population of about 17 000 with a further similar number in local villages depending upon it for shopping and medical services. One of the Georgian buildings houses what is today known as North Brink Practice. In 1946 it shared with a practice in Cosham, Hants, the temporary notoriety of having the only vacancies in general medical practice at the BMA agency at the particular time I was demobilised from the RNVR. The practice in which I settled was a specialist general practice and had access to the local cottage hospital. Two principals were fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons; another had a special interest in radiology, having the necessary basic equipment in his own home; another had ophthalmic qualifications; another was interested in obstetrics. I had little to offer except some recent knowledge in tropical medicine and venereology but I had given an unusually large number of anaesthetics in my hospital training at Oxford; this, and the wearisome job of sorting out and interviewing a further 69 applicants, turned the tables in my favour. I was to replace one of the surgeons, Edward Bullmore, who had been in the practice over 40 years and who had a reputation as being an ideal country doctor, extremely competent, and everybody's friend. He had, too, a very special knowledge of the history of the town, had been a churchwarden at the parish church, had a special interest in heraldry, and had produced a finely illustrated book about the heraldic devices which abounded in his church. He was a founder member of the local civic society, was a trustee of the Wisbech municipal charities, was a Worshipful Master at his Masonic Lodge, and found time to keep a considerable number of patients?all private?very happy and contented. I recall with pleasure my first few weeks in the town, when Bullmore would take me in his chauffeur driven Austin car to meet as many of his patients as was possible in the time at his disposal. His reputation was such that they were widely scattered and he would think nothing of visiting 18 or 20 miles into Lincolnshire. Forty five years separated us in age, and it was evident that the new youngster he had chosen as his successor was accepted only because Edward Bullmore had so ordained. The details of those precious conversa? tions about the early history of his practice, which was so dear to him, have sadly become dimmed in my memory but he did agree to put some recollections on paper in case some future partner could find time to write a history of the practice. Even these do not tell us of the surgical adventures on many a kitchen table, which he had described with such relish to me on his rounds. Now that I have been put out to grass, it has fallen to my lot to record some fresh notes about this interesting Fenland practice.