Dr Glaslyn J Griffiths
Dr Glaslyn J Griffiths
Dr Glaslyn Griffiths died at home on 2nd May 2001, after a long illness which he tackled with fortitude and courage, with devoted support from his family and close friends.
A Neath boy through and through, Glas was educated at Neath Grammar School, and was a staunch supporter of Neath Rugby Football Club as well as the Welsh National Team. He left school at the age of 17 to work as an analytical chemist for British Steel in Port Talbot, where he gained an HND. He was awarded a State Scholarship in chemistry but decided to read medicine at the Welsh National School of Medicine in 1961. He spent his 3 months elective period as a medical student at the Mayo Clinic, Minnesota, the first of a number of academic visits to the USA.
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01 July 1940 to 02 May 2001
After qualifying in medicine in 1968 and undertaking a number of clinical posts, Glas trained in Radiology in Cardiff. After obtaining the FRCR he went, in 1975, to Rochester, New York for 15 months as Assistant Professor of Radiology, returning there for a month in 1987 as Visiting Professor.
Shortly after his first visit to Rochester, he was appointed Consultant Radiologist to Gwent Health Authority, based at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport, with some sessions at Nevill Hall Hospital, Abergavenny during the earlier years of his appointment.
Glas' interests included ENT and chest radiology, but his main interest was in ultrasound of the prostate gland, for which he was internationally recognised as one of the leading world authorities. He has numerous publications in this area, with co-authors including Professor Ken Evans from Cardiff and Professor Brian Peeling from Newport. He was a member of The Radiology Visiting Club. He was instrumental in setting up the Prostatic Ultrasound Unit in Newport - as a combined venture between the Department of Urology and Department of Clinical Radiology - which has attracted many distinguished visitors from the UK and abroad. The courses on prostatic ultrasound which Glas organised with Dr Richard Clements were always over-subscribed.
In 1986 Glas was awarded the degree of MD with Distinction by the University of Wales for his thesis on prostatic ultrasound. To obtain an MD whilst working in a District General Hospital is a major achievement in itself, but to obtain it with distinction is quite exceptional. Outside medicine, his hobbies were music (especially opera), reading, fishing, cooking and playing cricket for the Royal Gwent Hospital team. Glas had suffered intermittent ill health for many years, but became more seriously ill at the end of 1991, and took early retirement on health grounds in 1993, prematurely cutting short an outstanding medical career. He kept in touch with his many friends and colleagues and continued to attend meetings of the Gwent Medical Society.
We extend our deepest sympathy to Glaslyn's wife Jill, his sons Huw and Daniel, and wider family.
Memoir authors: J R Harding and R Clements