John Ballantyne CBE FRCS

31 July 2008

We are greatly saddened to learn of the death of John Ballantyne CBE FRCS who was an adviser and friend of the charity over many years.

John’s contribution to British otolaryngology was huge and he was duly honoured with a CBE in 1984.

For the greater part of his career he was Consultant ENT Surgeon at the Royal Free Hospital in London. With his colleague John Groves he took over editing Scott-Brown's Diseases of the Ear, Nose and Throat, and helped make this the mainstay textbook for ENT surgeons in the UK and abroad. He also wrote another well-loved text: Ballantyne’s Deafness, which has run to several editions, and he was editor of the Journal of Laryngology and Otology for some years.

His other accolades were numerous including senior roles within the Royal Society of Medicine and Royal College of Surgeons. Yet John was a very down to earth person whose warmth and empathy with patients was always apparent.

We much appreciate all he did for Deafness Research UK.