Jim Dempster

William James Dempster (15 March 1918 – 27 July 2008) was a British surgeon and researcher in organ transplantation at St Mary’s Hospital, London. He published more than 100 scientific reviews and papers on kidney transplant rejection in dogs, confirming that rejection was an example of immune response, mediated by serum antibodies.

Early life Dempster was born on the island of Ibo, Portuguese Mozambique, to Jessie and James Dempster, who raised cattle in Portuguese East Africa until the tsetse fly caused the business to collapse. His birth was registered on 28 April 1918 and his birth certificate was issued on 9 August of the same year. However, his real date of birth was 15 March 1918. He survived malaria in early childhood.

Family and personal He met Cherry Clark, a nurse in the radiotherapy department at the Hammersmith Hospital who had once been a ballet dancer. They married and had two sons and one daughter.

Subsequently, Dempster became acquainted with international organ transplantation peers including Georges Mathé of Paris, who also believed that immunological reactions explained graft rejection. In addition, he foresaw the concept of graft-versus-host responses. Despite these research results, clinical application appeared distant as Ian Aird was more committed to research.

Following Cherry's death in 2005, Dempster was looked after by his daughter, Soula, who lived nearby. He died on 27 July 2008.