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Reading our first
Kibworth Chronicle I was thrilled to
discover Bob Haggerty’s article about one of my
heroes, Harold Ridley and equally thrilled to
find that his roots were in this our new home
area.
In the early 1950s, I was
a young probationer nurse at Moorfields Eye
Hospital and can confirm all that Bob writes
about Mr Ridley being not only a gifted pioneer
but also a real gentleman.
In those days doctors and
especially consultants usually behaved as if
they were Gods but he was an exception. For
instance on the occasion when I was on duty in
the theatre whilst he was operating he would
call us over to explain what he was doing and
treat us with courtesy as if acknowledging that
we were of value.
At the time I was puzzled
that Mr Ridley asked for the theatre doors to be
locked but surprised that that it was to ensure
that there was no risk of interruption during
the delicate surgery. It was many years later
that I was told of another reason: protection
from those who disagreed with his innovations.
I consider myself to have
been privileged to have had that experience. |
