Background
He was born in Desborough, Northamptonshire, England, of German ancestry.
He was born in Desborough, Northamptonshire, England, of German ancestry.
He attended Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge and Street Thomas" Hospital as a medical student, where his studies were interrupted by the First World War.
He was recognised as a conscientious objector in 1916, and briefly served in the Friends" Ambulance Unit, but was then allowed to complete his medical studies. He followed a career in Public health and became a Professor at the University of Wales in 1949. His lifelong interest was in tuberculosis, and the test formerly used in the United Kingdom for immunity to Tuberculosis is named for him.