Alasdair Fraser: consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist who fought to preserve the character of St Mary's medical school

bmj;393/jun05_3/e349465/VS1F1vs1Alasdair was born in Wales and educated at Swansea Grammar School, but he spent every holiday roaming around Glen Urquhart in the Highlands. He studied medicine at St Mary's in London and did his national service with the Border Regiment. He did his postgraduate training at the Samaritan, Queen Charlotte's, St James', and St Mary's hospitals in London.In 1965 Alasdair was appointed consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at St Mary's Hospital and the Samaritan Hospital for Women. He was a dedicated doctor who believed what mattered most was the relationship between “the patient, the clinician, and the disease.” He taught generations of students the art of obstetrics and the importance of courtesy towards patients. He helped build St Mary's into one of the foremost obstetrics and gynaecology departments in London, but his great passion was the medical school, where he was director of clinical studies and chair of the clinical curriculum...