Obituary: Anne Bryson Sutherland, Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, 89

Tributes have been paid to renowned plastic surgeon and Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Anne Bryson Sutherland, MD FRCS, who has died aged 89.

Anne was born at Wellford, Broxburn, the only child of David Murdoch Sutherland and Margaret Bryson, on January 7, 1922.

Anne attended school at Bathgate Academy and St Hilda's in Liberton, where she excelled both academically and in sport.

When she left school, she hoped to study medicine but her father thought that this was an unsuitable career for a woman, so instead she attended the Edinburgh College of Domestic Science, where she trained as a dietician.

Four years after her father died, she embarked on a degree in pure science at the University of Glasgow, but left a year later to go to the University of Edinburgh.

After graduating in 1951, Anne became a junior hospital doctor, where she became interested in plastic surgery and the effect of nutrition on the recovery of burned patients.

She worked at Bangour Hospital and the Sick Kids and, from 1956 until 1957, she spent time at the American Army Burns Institute in San Antonio, Texas, where she worked with wounded veterans.

When she returned to Edinburgh in 1958, she gained her MD with a thesis on the treatment of burn victims. Five years later, she became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

Anne spent the rest of her career working in the NHS at Bangour and the Sick Kids and at clinics in Kirkcaldy and Inverness.

She became the first woman to be appointed as a consultant plastic surgeon and was in administrative charge of the burn unit.

She was also a council member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and, in 1978, she became the first female chair of the British Burn Association.

In 1987, she also became the first, and so far the only, female president of the British Association of Plastic Surgeons.

Anne could often be found preparing special food for burn patients before staff were assigned to carry out the task themselves. She spent many nights in the hospital, caring for patients, even when she was not on call.

She enjoyed travelling and played hockey and tennis for both school and university, before taking up skiing in her 40s.

She was involved in the management of the Abbeyfield House at Roseburn, a member of Murrayfield Parish Church, a generous donor to many local charities and she was a keen supporter of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Edinburgh Zoo.

At the age of 76, Anne embarked on a French course with the Open University, going on to achieve a BA at the age of 82.

She died on March 27 at St Columba's Hospice.