Diana Beck

Diana Jean Kinloch Beck (29 June 1900 or 1902 – 3 March 1956) was the first British female neurosurgeon. She established the neurosurgery service at the Middlesex Hospital in London. In 1952 she gained a public profile for performing life-saving surgery on A. A. Milne.

Early life and education Diana Beck was born on 29 June 1900, (Beck's date of birth as per the Civil Registration of Births Index for England and Wales is 1900.) This is reflected in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

In 1943, Beck was appointed consultant neurosurgeon at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and the Royal Free, but war damage meant that she was unable to establish her new department. In 1944, she was sent to Chase Farm Hospital, where she took charge of air-raid casualties with head injuries and notably performed a lengthy operation that saved a nurse whose brain was protruding from her skull and was expected to die. Beck set up and ran the neurosurgery service at Middlesex, and published important research on the management of intracerebral haemorrhage.

Beck was the President of the London Association of the Medical Women's Federation for two years.

Selected publications