Obituary: Professor John Malins

Your obituary of John Malins (13 August) does not elaborate on the achievements as a medical educationalist of this outstanding West Midlands doctor, so well captured in his manifold other activities in Dr P. J. Watkins' assessment, writes Dr Robin Steel.

John Malins' achievement as a teacher inspiring general practitioners to regain a role in caring for their diabetic patients, and his collaboration with the Royal College of General Practitioners in pioneer community research, has been mentioned, as has his belief in family medicine together with his experience and connections with general practice. In the early Sixties, however, many young doctors were emigrating and there was no general-practice teaching at undergraduate, vocational or postgraduate levels, especially in the West Midlands. At a pioneer course in 1969 to teach the only 14 trainees for practice (in a region with a population similar to that of Scotland), John gave freely of his time and his skills. He was, to both tutor and trainees, a model of a caring holistic physician.

He later became Birmingham Medical School Postgraduate Dean and fanned the flames of general-practice-led teaching to vocational trainees and to established practitioners. John Malins' years as Postgraduate Dean saw a flourishing of education in district postgraduate centres and yet, because of his unassuming effortless style, only a few were aware of the immense work and thought which he had invested on behalf of many.

The Regional GP Education Committee looked forward to its annual autumn weekend retreat at Stratford where, when plans had been laid, John Malins would, like a benevolent headmaster, select some for promotion and modify defects in others. His understanding of primary care was integral to him and pervaded his approach.

Many will remember him as a 'doctor's doctor', but the general practitioners of the West Midlands (many chosen by him as former medical students when he was Admissions Tutor), will remember with gratitude his considerable but under-publicised achievement; his quiet perception and ability to constructively criticise with a 'twinkle in his eye', together with his ability and commitment of beliefs towards good doctoring and dedicated care to patients, leaving us both a legacy of a model to follow, and a solid West Midlands foundation of postgraduate education as his memorial.