About

Dr. David Hamilton

Dr. David Hamilton is a retired transplant surgeon and a medical historian. A native of Scotland, Hamilton obtained his degree at Glasgow in 1963, studied transplant surgery with Sir Peter Medawar, and attended Oxford University to pursue an interest in medical history. He has enjoyed a long and successful career as a transplant surgeon in the UK; Hamilton was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow in 1974, was a senior surgeon at the Transplant Unit of the Western Infirmary in Glasgow, and was honored as the first Director of the Wellcome Unit for the History of Medicine at Glasgow University. He currently holds a position as an honorary senior lecturer at the Medical School of St. Andrews University, where he teaches medical history. It has been this passion for the history of medicine which strongly defined his relationship with Dr. Starzl.

Hamilton spent the better part of 15 years trying to piece together the history of organ transplantation, a task which took him far longer, and took him back further into history, than he could have anticipated. As early as 1999, he had sent the first draft of his manuscript to Starzl, who, obviously, offered an insider’s perspective on many of the events Hamilton covered in his writing. Starzl and Hamilton struck up a long correspondence regarding Hamilton’s manuscript. The file held in Starzl’s archival collection has over a linear foot of material related to Hamilton’s endeavor, including early copies of manuscripts marked up heavily with Starzl’s comments, suggestions for research material, and letters covering current developments in the field. (Doc. 1) By early 2000, Hamilton had compiled a “near-final draft,” which Starzl offered an extensive commentary on. (Doc. 2 and Doc. 3) Starzl made an excellent editor, not only because of his closeness to the subject at hand, but because of his thorough reading of the manuscript, as evidenced by his detailed comments. He also offered his constant encouragement, calling Hamilton’s “history of clinical transplantation… the best one I have seen.” (Doc. 1) Hamilton’s appreciation for his input is apparent, and he often took Starzl’s advice to heart. (Doc. 4)

The finished manuscript turned out to be quite massive. Supportive of the quality of Hamilton’s work, Starzl helped secure a publishing deal for Hamilton with the University of Pittsburgh Press. (Doc. 5) The book, A History of Organ Transplantation: Ancient Legends to Modern Practice was finally published in 2012, featuring a forward from Starzl and Dr. Clyde Barker. Hamilton expressed his gratitude to Starzl in his “Acknowledgments,” noting that “to his unique position in the history of transplantation he adds his keen historical insight, and I am in his debt for detailed comments on the text.” [ref 1]

References 

1. David Hamilton, A History of Organ Transplantation: Ancient Legends to Modern Practice (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2012), xii