J.I.P. James

John Ivor Pulsford James (13 October 1913 – 11 July 2001) was a British orthopaedic surgeon. He was professor of orthopaedic surgery at the University of Edinburgh from 1958 to 1979. Most commonly known as "JIP", he was secretary then president of the British Orthopaedic Association which later awarded him its honorary fellowship. James attracted orthopaedic specialists to work in Edinburgh, encouraging them to develop an interest in a specialist area of orthopaedics, and in this way he was able to establish a comprehensive regional orthopaedic service. He made contributions to hand surgery and surgical treatment of scoliosis, and was a prime mover in promoting specialist training and qualification in orthopaedic surgery in the UK.

Early life and education James was born in London, son of Stanley Bloomfield James, and his wife Jessica (née Heley). His father had worked in a variety of jobs around the world, as a lumberjack in Canada, as a combatant in the Spanish American War, as a lay preacher, and eventually as a writer. James was one of a large family and his education was financed through scholarships. After schooling at Eggars Grammar School in Alton, Hampshire, he studied medicine at University College, London, qualifying MB BS from University College Hospital (UCH) in 1938. He was house surgeon at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, being appointed surgical registrar there in 1941. He joined the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1943.

Wartime service Having volunteered for the Special Operations Executive (SOE), James was parachuted into Yugoslavia in late 1943 after two earlier attempts were unsuccessful. He arrived at Kolasin near the Montenegrin-Albanian border to give medical support to Yugoslav Partisans who were part of a resistance movement against the occupying German forces. With the Partisan combatants constantly on the move, he operated in caves, stables, or mountain huts, with the operative field often lit only by candlelight. He wrote a first-hand account of this experience in 1992. After the war he was awarded the Golden Star of Service by the then Republic of Yugoslavia. His clinical and research interests were in the surgery of the hand and the surgical treatment of scoliosis.

Personal life After retiring from the Edinburgh chair in 1979, James worked as director of orthopaedic services in Kuwait and later in Saudi Arabia. The management of infants with scoliosis. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. 57B:422–429 (November), 1975 The orthopaedic surgeon and research The Second R. I. Harris Lecture Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. British Volume 52-B, Issue 101 Feb 1970, 14-28 (subscription required)