Biography.guide
Home › People › Physician › David Morley
Portrait of David Morley

David Morley

1923 – 2009

British paediatrician

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About David Morley

Lived 1923 – 2009 (aged 86). David Morley was a British physician.

David Cornelius Morley (15 June 1923 – 2 July 2009) was a British paediatrician and emeritus Professor of Child Health, UCL Institute of Child Health who saved the lives of many thousands of children in developing countries.

Early life David Cornelius Morley was born on 15 June 1923 in Rothwell, Northamptonshire in the UK. He was the youngest of seven children born to a vicar and his wife. from where he qualified in medicine in 1947. He found that low-cost healthcare initiatives within the community were more effective in treating infant mortality than hospital treatment, work that has influenced governments and agencies globally. A double-ended plastic spoon allowed mothers to accurately measure the correct proportions of salt and sugar to treat dehydration successfully using oral rehydration therapy.

Morley also identified the need for a low-cost device to measure a baby's temperature, and asked John Zeal to create one. The result was the ThermoSpot, a small disc that shows a green smiley face when the temperature is in the correct range.

Charity Work In 1965 he established the charity Teaching-aids at Low Cost (TALC), a charity formed to provide healthcare books and other materials cheaply to healthcare workers and others in developing countries.

In 1986 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Medicine at Uppsala University, Sweden

Publications

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Education
St Thomas's Hospital Medical School, Clare College, Marlborough College, Clare College, Cambridge
Awards
Commander of the Order of the British Empire; King Faisal Prize in Medicine; Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London; James Spence Medal; King Faisal International Prize; Order of the British Empire
Also known as
David Cornelius Morley

People in David Morley's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped David Morley's

Frequently asked questions

Who was David Morley?

British paediatrician (1923–2009)

When was David Morley born?

David Morley was born on 15 June 1923 in Rothwell.

When did David Morley die?

David Morley died on 2 July 2009 in Weymouth.

What was David Morley's occupation?

David Morley was a physician.

What nationality was David Morley?

David Morley was British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: David Morley

· Wikidata: Q1173898

· DBpedia: David Morley (paediatrician)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). David Morley. https://biography.guide/david-morley-physician/

MLA: "David Morley." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/david-morley-physician/.

Chicago: "David Morley." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/david-morley-physician/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:29 UTC