In 1824, Thomas Wakley, the founding editor of The Lancet was banned from his alma mater, Guy’s Hospital for publishing critical accounts about the nepotism of medical appointments and the incompetence of some surgeons. No alumnus had ever been banned before and over the following 200 years, only one other has been (James Lambert – ‘The Honourable Doctor’).
On Tuesday 13 October 2026 Thomas Wakley returned to Guy’s when he was the subject of the address given at the annual lunch of the John Fry Society.
High above the hospital, over 80 alumni, including many from the class of 1976 celebrating their 50th year reunion, heard about the extreme adversities Wakley overcame in his early years and what motivated him to establish what was to prove to be one of the most influential medical journals in the world.
The hospital and medical school’s lack of recognition of this stormy, difficult man who led such profound reform of the medical profession and hospital governance is a challenge for both institutions to consider over the coming years.