626 BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL VOLUME 283 29 AUGUST 1981

to a serious study of human society in times
past, and he was never happier than when
roaming over the Yorkshire or Devon moors
to search out some stone circle, barrow, or
other evidence of the physical presence of
these ancient societies. From this practical
archaeological approach, with his own know-
ledge of psychiatry, human behaviour, and
motivation, and a systematic study of
philosophy, he had been weaving a unique
view of the human state in which his own
interpretations of the human past and present
were harmoniously integrated.

Notwithstanding the demands of a busy
practice and of his ever increasing research
and teaching commitments, Tony always had
time particularly for his patients and for his
colleagues in the practice. He will be missed
by patients and colleagues, but particularly by
those who were dependent on him for inspira-
tion in the ever increasing number of research
projects with which he was concerned and for
which he had provided the major motivation.
He is survived by his wife, who is also a
doctor, and his three sons.-DLC.

H A TREBLE
MA, BM, FRCP

Dr H A Treble, consulting physician to the
Kent and Canterbury Hospital, died at
Canterbury on 21 June. He was 73.
Henry Arthur Treble was born at Croydon,

Surrey, on 8 December 1907. His father was a
classics teacher
and from him he
inherited a keen
brain and a
scrupulous and
scholarly back-

- ground. He was
educated at Whit-
gift School, Croy-
don, where he
distinguished
himself on the
science side and
won an open
scholarship to

[Kentish Gazette Oxford. In 1926
he entered Mag-

dalen College as a demy (foundation scholar)
and took second-class honours in animal
physiology in 1929 with the senior science
war memorial scholarship to Guy's Hospital
Medical School, which he entered in
September 1929.
At Guy's he qualified with the conjoint

diploma in July 1932, adding the Oxford
BM, BCh in December. He then served his
apprenticeship under Maurice Campbell,
Douthwaite, Mutch, Fagge, and Davies-
Colley, becoming house physician; the MRCP
(London) followed in 1935. During his post-
graduate years at Guy's he contributed a
paper to Brain with S de Navasquez on a
case of primary generalised amyloid disease
with involvement of the nerves.

In 1937 he joined the general practice of
the Wachers, a Canterbury dynasty, and was
appointed honorary assistant physician to the
Kent and Canterbury Hospital. The building
was brand new and the prospects for a well-
qualified physician excellent, but his early
years were disrupted by the war, during
which he remained in civilian practice.

Treble's practice of medicine was refined
into an efficient machine: he thought quickly
and acted quickly. His intellectual grasp of a
subject was illustrated by his self-taught
mastery of dermatology when a gap in this
subject needed to be filled after the premature
death of a colleague in 1940. At the bedside
and in the clinic he was brisk, even brusque
at times, with no time wasted, no small talk,
recognised by some as the performance of a
shy man. His natural kindness was sometimes
obscured by the abruptness of insecurity;
thus he never quite came into the "beloved
physician" category, although he was a much
respected doctor. At the hospital he undertook
more than his share of committee work and
was a superb performer as member or chairman.
In 1947 he was an early member of the South-
east Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board,
and he influenced the development of hospital
services in the south-east. In 1955 he was
elected FRCP. He retired from clinical practice
in 1972, aged 65 and in indifferent health. A
newly commissioned medical-ward was named
after him.

There was another H A Treble. Quite
separate from his medical life, he developed
an amazing range of cultural interests, to each
of which he applied his perfectionism. He
was a keen music-lover and in 1942 was a
cofounder of the Canterbury Music Club,
now in its 39th season. He was an authority
on Oriental ceramics, and his collection of
celadon ware from the Han and Sung periods
was well known. He was a passionate lover of
Italy, a great traveller, and a master of the
Italian Renaissance. He was an expert gardener
and an epicure. In each of these interests he
had a devoted band of friends. He was a stoic
also who faced the problems of deteriorating
health and the domestic difficulties of a
bachelor life with masterly objectivity. He was
a many-sided man: in the words of a pro-
fessorial friend, "a true eccentric."

ALEXANDRA W MUCKLOW
MB, CHB

Dr Alexandra W Mucklow, who until her
retirement was medical officer to Cheltenham
Ladies College, died in Cheltenham General
Hospital on 16 April aged 79. Her health had
not been good since 1979, when she had a
stroke; but death came unexpectedly after a
short illness, and she had been planning to
return home the next day.

Alexandra Winifred Groves was born on 1
December 1901 and entered the Manchester
Medical School in 1922 with the idea of work-
ing in a leper colony. She graduated in 1928,
having obtained her BSc in anatomy and
physiology in 1925. During her student days
she was interested in theatricals (she had played
the part of Caliban at school) and in games,
playing lacrosse for the university and obtain-
ing her colours. As a student she showed a keen
inquiring mind, and her insistence on finding
out and giving the best she was capable of
marked all her work. After her marriage to
Dr Stuart Mucklow, a radiologist, they settled
in Cheltenham. She joined the staff of Chelten-
ham General Hospital in 1939 and was also
medical officer for the nurses of this hospital
and St Paul's Maternity Hospital. Later she
was on the staff of Delancey Hospital for a few
years; the Salvation Army home for homeless

girls was another interest. In 1946 she became
medical officer to Cheltenham Ladies College,
and she remained there until her health forced
her to retire. In all these appointments her
unfailing interest in, and understanding of,
problems endeared her to patients and pupils
alike.

Alex's great hobby was dogs: she was well
known in the dog-breeding world for her
Weimaraners, which she bred for 26 years.
She bred several show champions and exported
dogs to various parts of the world. She judged
at numerous shows, including Crufts, and for
some years was medical officer for the huge
West of England ladies' kennel society show.
She was made a vice-president of the
Weimaraner club in recognition of her work on
the committee.

Alex loved her garden and after her hus-
band's death in 1976 spent much time there;
she also had several dogs to exercise. She was
happiest when her four grandchildren came to
see her. She leaves a son, who is a paediatrician,
and a daughter.-MMR.

GEORGE QVIST
MB, BS, FRCS

REMB writes: Many generations of students
ofthe Royal Free Hospital and School of Medi-
cine held George Qvist in high affection and
respect (obituary, 22 August, p 565). They
remember his unobtrusive generosity to the
students' union, particularly during the inaugu-
ration of the men's sports clubs. His interest in
their affairs was as unflagging as his loyal
support of the Royal College of Surgeons of
England, the hospital, and the school of medi-
cine. He was a memorable teacher and after-
dinner speaker. His particular amalgam of
clinical wisdom and humour was epitomised in
the presidential address delivered to a packed
meeting of the section of surgery of the Royal
Society of Medicine. The beautifully produced
book Surgical Diagnosis is testimony to the
breadth of his experience and the meticulous
care he took with all his writings, including the
scholarly papers on John Hunter. Despite the
remorseless progress of illness, retirement
was only a change of place of work. Among
other things George became a most welcome
visitor in the anatomy department, which has a
long tradition of part-time teaching from
clinicians. It was characteristic that only 10
days before his death he came to say farewell to
the retiring senior technician and, though
obviously frail and ill, was as genial and
humorous as ever. His courage, integrity,
kindness, loathing of Bumbledom, and
occasional impatiences were all great. He
imparted enjoyment of life and work and will
be remembered gratefully by students and
colleagues, who would all wish to extend their
deepest sympathy to his wife, Dame Frances
Gardner.

Correction

An error occurred in the obituary for Dr T
Seager (15 August, p 506): Dr Seager was
president of the Liverpool Medical (not
Mental) Institution.

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