| Authorised form of name | Mayneord; William Valentine (1902 - 1988) |
| Other forms of name | Val |
| Dates | 1902 - 1988 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Redditch, Worcestershire, England, United Kingdom |
| Date of birth | 14/02/1902 |
| Date of death | 10/08/1988 |
| Occupation | Radiologist |
| Research field | Medical physics |
| Radiology |
| Carcinogens |
| Activity | Education:
Prince Henry's School, Evesham; University of Birmingham, BSc in physics (1922), MSc magnetism of annealed carbon steels (1924), DSc (1933)
Career:
Demonstrator in physics, Medical School of St Bart’s Hospital (1924-1927); Director of Physics Department, Cancer Hospital later the Royal Cancer Hospital and then the Royal Marsden Hospital (1927- 1964); Reader in Physics, University of London (1936); seconded by the government to work in Canada on the radiological aspects of atomic energy development during World War II, Advisor to the Medical Branch of National Research Council of Canada on the Chalk River Project (part of the atomic bomb programme) (1939-1945); Tube Alloys Directorate of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in Canada (1945-1946); consultant in radiation dosimetr, Berkley Nuclear Laboratories' Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) Research Division (1965); Trustee of the National Gallery, London (1966-1971)
Honours:
CBE 1957; University of Aberdeen, LLD Hon (1969); University of Surrey, D. Univ. Hon. (1978); a hospital ward is named after him at the Royal Marsden Branch in Surrey
Memberships:
British Institute of Radiology (President 1942); Institute of Physics (1933); Societe Francaise de Physique; American College of Radiology; Canadian Association of Radiologists
Royal College of Radiologist; Radiological Society of Sweden; Radiological Society of Canada; Radiological Society of Scandinavia; British Institute of Radiology
Hospital Physicists Association
British Society for Radiological Protection
Radiology Section of the Royal Society of Medicine
Medal/Awards:
Roentgen Prize 1932; Anna Fuller Memorial Prize 1939; Silvanus Thompson Memorial Medal 1951; Coronation Medal 1953; Sievert Award of the International Radiation Protection Associatiom 1977; Barclay Medal 1982; Antoine Beclere Prize of the International Society of Radiology 1985; Mackenzie Davidson Memorial Medal; Gold Medal of the Royal College of Radiologists; Gold medal of the Royal Swedish Academy of Science; Gold medal of the University of Arizona; Gold medal of the Royal College of Radiologists; in 1984 the BIR inaugurated the Mayneord Lecture under the sponsorship of the 3M United Kingdom pic |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 18/03/1965 |
| Age at election | 63 |
| Relationships | Read physics under Professor S W J Smith, FRS., mathematics under Professor G N Watson, FRS |
| Published works | 'The physics of X-ray therapy' (London) 1929; 'Some applications of nuclear physics to medicine' (London) 1950;with Browning, Ethel, 'Harmful Effects of ionising radiations' (Amsterdam) 1959; 'Radiation and health' (London) 1964; 'Carcinogenesis and radiation risk : a biomathematical reconnaissance' (London) 1973 |
| General context | Mayneord's work explored the potential uses of radiology in medicine, both in aiding therapy and supporting diagnosis. He pioneered a number of techniques, including the use of ultrasonics for diagnosis and the design and manufacture of some of the first medical scanning equipment. Mayneord's research on radiation units and dosimetry had a significant impact on radiation treatment, and he was widely recognised as the leading authority in the UK field. Mayneord's 1950 publication "Some Applications of Nuclear Physics to Medicine", The British Journal of Radiology, was used as a standard reference in British and European isotope clinics during the decade following its publication. Mayneord also played a key role in the development of Röentgen units, (later rads, now centigrays), as a measure of exposure to ionizing radiation. As well as considering how radiology could be applied to medicine, Mayneord assessed the risks and problems of radiation hazards, considering how volunteers and workers could be protected from radiation hazards. |
| Sources | Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Valentine_Mayneord
References:
Works by Mayneord in Proceedings of the Royal Society A: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/action/doSearch?ContribAuthorRaw=Mayneord%2C+William+Valentine
Obituaries:
Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society 1991 vol 37 pp 341-364, plate, by F W Spiers |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/73082543 |
| Royal Society code | NA2039 |
| Reference number | Title | Date |
| PB/1/33/3/5 | Companion of Honour | 1965 |
| RR/40/6 | Second referee's report by James Chadwick, on a paper 'Secondary electronic emissions from metal foils and animal tissues' by William Valentine Mayneord | September 1930 |
| RR/51/30 | Referee's report by John Cunningham McLennan, on a paper 'The physical basis of the biological effects of high voltage radiations' by William Valentine Mayneord | [June 1934] |
| RR/58/85 | Referee's report by Edward Charles Cyril Baly, on a paper 'The ultra-violet absorption spectra of some complex aromatic hydrocarbons—II' by William Valentine Mayneord and Edna M F Roe | September 1936 |
| RR/61/76 | Referee's report by Arthur Edwin Boycott, on a paper 'Neoplasia following the application of X-rays to inflammatory lesions' by Harold Burrows, William Valentine Mayneord and J. E. Roberts | April 1937 |
| RR/40/5 | Second referee's report by Harold Roper Robinson, on a paper 'Secondary electronic emissions from metal foils and animal tissues' by William Valentine Mayneord | 26 July 1930 |
| RR/40/4 | Referee's report by James Chadwick, on a paper 'Secondary electronic emissions from metal foils and animal tissues' by William Valentine Mayneord | May 1930 |
| IM/GA/WRS/9410 | Mayneord, William Valentine | nd |
| EC/1965/24 | Mayneord, William Valentine: certificate of election to the Royal Society | |
| MS/814 | William Valentine Mayneord collection | 1926-1928 |
| RR/47/2 | Referee's report by Gilbert Thomas Morgan, on a paper 'The production of cancer by pure hydrocarbons.—Part I' by James Wilfred Cook, I Hieger, Ernest Laurence Kennaway and William Valentine Mayneord | 23 June 1932 |
| RR/40/3 | Referee's report by Harold Roper Robinson, on a paper 'Secondary electronic emissions from metal foils and animal tissues' by William Valentine Mayneord | 12 April 1930 |
| RR/47/1 | Referee's report by Arthur Edwin Boycott, on a paper 'The production of cancer by pure hydrocarbons.—Part I' by James Wilfred Cook, I Hieger, Ernest Laurence Kennaway and William Valentine Mayneord | May 1932 |