John Marshall (surgeon)


John Marshall FRS FRCS was an English surgeon and teacher of anatomy.

Early life and education

John Marshall was born in Ely, Cambridgeshire. He was the second son and third child of the solicitor William Marshall and Ann Cropley, his second wife.

Career

Regarding Marshall's skills as a teacher and lecturer, the opinions of his former students appear to have diverged. One of them, Sir Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer, described him as "a good surgeon of the old school" and as "a good friend" for whom he had "great respect and liking" but also as an "uninspiring teacher" whose lectures were "desperately dull". However, another former student, Sir John Tweedy, strongly disagreed with Schafer and described Marshall's lectures as "informative and thought-awakening" and Marshall himself as "a cultured, critical and scientific surgeon, ever ready to try new paths and explore avenues of fresh knowledge".