Dr Alexander G. Shulman

Canadian by origin, he had an impressive history with The University of Toronto, Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, he saw active service in France and Germany with The US Army Medical Corps during World War II. After the war, he was chief of surgery at Midway Hospital in California and, in his latest position, was director of the world-famous Lichtenstein Hernia Institute in California, USA.

Alexander G Shulman had an illustrious medical and surgical career that incorporated various specialised interests and achievements, ranging from management of burns through neurosurgery to his leading role in open, tension-free mesh hernia repair surgery. It is in this capacity and his work at the Lichtenstein Hernia Institute that his connection with this centre was established, writes Dudley J Rogg, director of the British Hernia Centre.

Dr Shulman was passionate about his work, to the extent that he would spare no effort in speaking out against what he considered to be outdated techniques of surgery. Having become convinced that the vast majority of hernias around the world were being repaired by methods that were out of date, he worked hard to educate surgeons in a newer and much better approach. In his work at the Lichtenstein, he was instrumental on an international level in advocating the advantages of modern techniques and materials in hernia work. His success in pioneering modern surgical techniques was due, in no small part, to his being a meticulous and excellent surgeon.

The Lichtenstein Hernia Institute pioneered the use of what is arguably the finest technique of hernia surgery known today coupled with the concept of the 'condition-specific' hernia centre. It was upon his model that the British Hernia Centre was established in London, England in 1991 and - without doubt - it was the unceasing encouragement and advice from Dr Alex Shulman that was instrumental in the British Hernia Centre's success. We were proud to enjoy his close personal friendship as well as our close working relationship between the two centres.

Only three months before his passing, Dr Shulman was in London at the International Conference on All Abdominal Wall Hernia held at The Royal Society of Medicine where he was a keynote speaker and in fine form (pictured above).

An energetic man and a prolific writer, he had books published, chapters, papers, articles and letters published in the leading 'lay' press including The New York Times and the learned academic surgical journals, including - in his home country, the American Journal of Surgery, and also The Lancet and The British Medical Journal in the UK. His last book (appropriately entitled "How To Do It Right") is currently going into print.

Dr Alex Shulman will be greatly missed by his many friends around the world, by Constance, his wife of five decades, by his family, his colleagues and by all of us at The British Hernia Centre.