A founder member and, later, President of BAUS
Ronald Henry Ottywell Betham Robinson was born on 16 May 1896, the son of Henry Betham Robinson, MD, MS, FRCS. He was educated at Malvern College, King's College Cambridge and St Thomas's Hospital London.
He was brought up in Wimpole Street London. His father was a general surgeon at St Thomas's Hospital and Robinson was brought up surrounded by the well-known surgeons of that era.
He served as a Surgeon Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and later Temporary Surgeon Lieutenant Commander in the RNVR during World War One.
After the war he became house surgeon, surgical registrar and resident assistant surgeon at St Thomas's Hospital, London. In 1954 he became senior surgeon. He practised careful, measured surger in contrast to those around him for whom speed was the vital element in surgical practice. He would only operate in a formal operating theatre environment with trained anaesthetists, and eschewed surgery on kitchen tables with unqualified GPs administering the anaesthetic.
He remained devoted to the Royal College of Surgeons of England throughout his career, and only resigned his posts within the College when he retired from surgical practice; he thought this "... a matter of principle ...". He was a quiet, almost shy, man whose personality only came through when one got to know him over a period of time.
He was a founder member of the British Association of Urological Surgeons and became its President in 1955. He was also President of the Section of Urology at the Royal Society of Medicine.
Ronald Robinson died on 6 February 1973 at the age of 76 and was survived by his wife.
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