Case Report |
Why I became an occupational physician ...
Like my predecessors in this series, Malcolm Harrington and David Coggon, I did not initially plan my entry into occupational medicine—indeed it might be said I got in ‘by accident’ for it was a result of my being invalided from the Royal Army Medical Corps due to illness contracted while serving as dermatologist to Palestine Command in 1946.The NHS was just starting and my prospects of obtaining a substantive NHS appointment in due course were nil, so my wife Dr Barbara Cooke and I decided to apply for a general practice. We were successful in this for 5 years with my assistantship at the Birmingham Skin Hospital. I had been undertaking several appointments on a part-time basis such as Local Treasury Medical officer when I was approached by chemical manufacturers Albright & Wilson Ltd to do a few sessions, as their doctor was leaving.
I was later approached by their Chief Medical Advisor, Dr John Hughes, and Dr Lloyd Potter, Chief Medical Officer of ICI, and asked to give up general practice and to serve them as occupational physician with a special interest in dermatology. They introduced me to other companies such as Yorkshire Imperial Metals and Alcan and the Skin Hospital were most helpful; I was appointed clinical assistant and given opportunity to continue my interest in occupational dermatology.
I continued personal study at the Institute of Occupational Health where I was appointed to the staff, finally as Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer. In due course, I was appointed Regional Adviser and to the Department of Industrial Health & Safety at Aston University where I was later appointed part-time Visiting Professor.
I took an increasing interest in the Faculty of Occupational Medicine where I served on the Council and the Specialist Advisory Committee and was an examiner for the Faculty, and also elected President of the Society of Occupational Medicine. At that time, there was consideration as to whether the MRCP should be compulsory before the MFOM. I opposed this view maintaining that the examination for the MFOM including the clinical section should be of a sufficiently high standard on its own. This fortunately was accepted and has proved adequate.
I was appointed FFOM shortly after the Faculty was formed and also CBiol MIBiol, MIEnvSc and MIOSH. Then followed inclusion on the General Medical Council Specialist Register (occupational medicine) and on the Institute of Biology and British Toxicology Society Register of Toxicologists. Research as attached worker at the Medical Research Council Skin Unit on tissue cultures to assess chemical toxicity followed as did election to President of the Royal Society of Medicine Section of Occupational Medicine and Assistant Editorship of the British Journal of Industrial Medicine.
Other appointments continued and a happy and I hope useful career continued. I hope this review and those of my predecessors reassure those interested that there are many ways of entering a specialty even when one initially seems to face insuperable difficulties.
E-mail: morriscooke{at}doctors.org.uk
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