Abstract
Winston Churchill had many medical links during his long and glorious public and private life. He was born at Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, educated at Harrow and Sandhurst, and in 1895 commissioned in the 4th Queen's Own Hussars. He became MP (1900) and eventually Prime Minister (1940). He had close links with the medical profession through his friendship with Lord Moran (1882–1977), Physician at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, and President of the Royal College of Physicians.
Churchill received honorary degrees from several medical institutions, becoming Fellow of the Royal Society (1941), Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (1943) and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (1951). He addressed the Royal College of Physicians twice. On 2 March 1944, during the 1939–1945 War, he was able to reassure the College assembly that he had recovered from his attack of pneumonia due to the close medical attention of Lord Moran, Dr Evan Bedford and Professor Guy Scadding. His second address at the College was to present his friend and physician with Moran's portrait by Pietro Annigoni. This masterly painting of Moran hangs on the ground floor of the College alongside portraits of other recent presidents. It repays inspection for Annigoni has created an arresting tour-de-force. Moran appears to stand out as a vivid lively personality as indeed he was in life and as President of the College. Churchill and Moran proved to be a formidable pair of joint travellers throughout the war torn world during important overseas visits. It is to the credit of Moran, among others, that Churchill was physically able to become Prime Minister once again at the age of 77 years in 1951. But Moran was unable to overcome Churchill's loves of smoking and wine.