Douglas Black (physician) facts for kids

Sir Douglas Andrew Kilgour Black (born May 29, 1913 – died September 13, 2002) was a Scottish physician (a doctor) and medical scientist. He played a very important part in creating and developing the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK. He also did a lot of research in public health, which is about keeping whole communities healthy. Sir Douglas Black is well-known for writing "The Black Report" and for the Black Formula, which helped measure people's body types.

Early Life and Education

Douglas Black was born in Delting, a place in Shetland, Scotland, in 1913. He went to school at Forfar Academy. After that, he studied medicine at the Bute Medical School at the University of St Andrews. He became a doctor, earning his MB ChB degree in 1933.

Research and Career

Sir Douglas Black spent time researching how the body loses water and becomes dehydrated. He did this important work first at Oxford University. Later, he continued his research at the University of Manchester. In 1959, he became a professor of medicine there. This meant he was a leading teacher and researcher in medical science.

In 1974, he took on a big role in the UK government. He became the first chief scientist for the Department of Health and Social Security. This job involved giving scientific advice to the government on health matters. From 1977 to 1983, he was the president of the Royal College of Physicians, a very respected group of doctors. He also led the British Medical Association and strongly opposed apartheid in South Africa. Apartheid was a system of unfair racial separation.

The Black Report

In the 1970s, the UK government asked Sir Douglas Black to lead a group of experts. Their job was to study why some people had better health than others, a problem known as health inequalities. The report they wrote, often called "The Black Report", came out in 1980.

Even though the government at the time didn't like its findings, the report was very important. It greatly increased what we know about health differences between people. It was even published as a book called Inequalities in Health: The Black Report and the Health Divide.

Later Work and Honours

Later, Sir Douglas Black led another important government investigation. This time, he looked into cases of childhood leukaemia (a type of cancer) near the nuclear reprocessing plant at Sellafield in Cumbria, England.

For his great work, Douglas Black received special honours. He was made a Knight Bachelor in 1973, which meant he could use "Sir" before his name. In 1989, he was also made a Knight of the Most Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem.