Mr Roy Wise

Abstract

Roy Wise was born on 11 November 1928, in Johannesburg. He matriculated from Potchefstroom High School and started as an undergraduate in medicine at Wits University the following year. He graduated in 1951 with honours in Surgery, clear in his mind that he was destined to become a surgeon. Following his internship at Addington Hospital in 1952, he commenced his surgical training at the Hammersmith Hospital in London where he spent 2 years. He subsequently returned to King Edward VIII Hospital where he completed his registrar training. His mentors in Durban were Lawrence Pearson and Aubrey Radford. He wrote both the London and Edinburgh examinations after which he commenced private practice at Entabeni Hospital in Durban in 1960, joining Mannie Stein. The spectrum of procedures at that time included hysterectomies, prostatectomies, and some orthopaedic procedures such as menisectomies, in addition to the general surgical operations. Roy and Mannie visited Michael de Bakey and Denton Cooley in Houston, and on returning to Durban, they performed the first aortic aneurysm surgery. They went on to establish a full vascular surgery practice at Entabeni Hospital. Despite Roy’s passionfor vascular surgery, he also had an interest in head and neck, laparoscopic and colorectal surgery, which he practised for the next 53 years. He was also involved in running the vascular clinic at Addington Hospital from 1968 until 1989.