William Roentgen's (1845-1923) influence: contrasts and comparisons

William Roentgen's discovery of X-rays in 1895 influenced two students from Manchester who first met in 1899. They developed an interest in radiology of the gastrointestinal tract through which they maintained a long association. Sir Arthur Hurst, after qualifying in Oxford in 1904, became a renowned physician at Guy's Hospital, London, and founder of what was to become the British Society of Gastroenterology. Dr Alfred Barclay qualified in Cambridge in 1904 and subsequently became the first Consultant Radiologist in Manchester and doyen of gastrointestinal radiology. He moved to Cambridge in 1928 to sustain the DMRE course. In 1937 he was invited to join the Nuffield Institute of Medical Research in Oxford at an age when many would have considered retiring. In 1939 Hurst also returned to Oxford where he taught at the medical school and consulted at the Radcliffe Infirmary, bringing his path and Barclay's together once more.