George Murray Levick (1876–1956), Antarctic explorer

Abstract

Murray Levick is best known for being one of the surgeons on Scott's Terra Nova Antarctic expedition (1910-1913) and, as a member of the Northern Party of that expedition, spending a winter living in a snow hole when the ship was unable to collect the men. However, his career encompassed much more than that. He served in the Royal Navy during both World Wars and was a pioneer in physical medicine and rehabilitation. He also founded the British Schools Exploring Society.

Edward Leicester Atkinson (1881–1929): Antarctic explorer, scientist and naval surgeon

“…Captain Robert Scott took three doctors with him on his Terra Nova Expedition to the Antarctic (1910–1913). The lives of Drs Edward Wilson (1872–1912) 1 and Murray Levick (1876–1956) 2 have been described previously in this journal and the aim of this paper is to describe the life and career of Dr Edward Leicester Atkinson which was no less remarkable than that of his two colleagues.…”

“…The next in seniority was Lt Victor Campbell (1875–1956) but he was in the Northern Party which had been stranded when the ship that was meant to relieve them was unable to reach them because of ice conditions. 2 Atkinson, as the only naval officer, had to take command of the whole expedition. His first decision was what to do when Scott and his colleagues failed to return from the South Pole.…”

“…As a group, they decided to look for Scott and, as described elsewhere, 2 the Northern Party spent the winter living in a snow hole and found their own way back.…”

Hindsight

“…Later, when involved in actinotherapy he chose to reject Medical Research Council controlled trials that conflicted with his opinions. 1 His attempts to conduct trials while training Commandos during World War II were plainly scary! However, he did carry out and publish detailed descriptive work on Ade´lie penguins.…”

“…This story of true heroism has for too long been neglected. It is one of the many aspects of this remarkable man’s career described in the excellent paper by Guly 1 in this Journal.…”