Dr Thomas Barns | The Douglas Price Society

*Dr Barns celebrating his 100th birthday with colleagues at the WHO Office in Thailand, in 2019*. *Credit: WHO*

Dr Barns, who died in September 2023, aged 104, was the oldest Member of the College’s Douglas Price Society, our group for generous supporters who have included a gift to Keble in their Wills.

Here we celebrate the life and career of an extraordinary alumnus.

In 1939, Thomas Barns arrived at Keble to study Physiological Science, the start of a journey that spanned continents and shaped his career in obstetrics and gynaecology.

During World War II, Dr Barns joined the British Army and was stationed in India, where he worked as an anaesthetist in a mobile surgical unit during the Burma Campaign. After the war, he returned to Oxford to pursue a DPhil in obstetrics and gynaecology. His research focused on pelvic tuberculosis, for which he received the Blair Bell Memorial Lecture award from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

In 1952, Thomas took on the role of State Obstetrician and Gynaecologist in Johore, Malaysia. In addition to his medical duties, he also served as the personal physician to the Sultan. During this time, he founded the Flying Squad Service, a mobile medical unit aimed at providing emergency obstetric care to isolated and conflict-affected regions, an initiative which laid the groundwork for similar mobile health-care systems in other parts of the world.

From Malaysia, he moved to India, taking up the post of Deputy Director at the Christian Medical College in Vellore, contributing to the education of medical professionals and the development of health-care practices in the region. He then joined the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Regional Advisor, working in New Delhi and Sri Lanka. His focus was on implementing Maternal and Child Health programmes that were tailored to the specific needs of each community. One key innovation he introduced was a training programme for midwives on proper sterilisation techniques, a critical aspect of safe maternal care.

In 1984, Dr Barns was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in recognition of his work in maternal care, particularly in developing countries. His work in training health-care providers and improving medical practices had a lasting impact on health-care systems to this day.

Leaving a legacy to your College.

We are immensely grateful to everyone who has pledged a legacy gift, whatever the size; by remembering Keble in your will, you can make a lasting contribution for generations to come. If you have included a gift to the College in your will, we would be delighted if you could let us know, so we can thank and welcome you to the Douglas Price Society.

If you would like more information about leaving a legacy to Keble and the related tax benefits involved in doing so, please get in touch with Kirsty Rose.

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