On Sunday 16 February, University of Aberdeen 1947 medical graduate, Dr Andrew Bruce, celebrated his 100th birthday with family and friends in Kingston, Ontario. Looking splendid in his kilt, the proud Aberdonian addressed his guests as they gathered to mark his milestone birthday and share memories.
Born in Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire, Andrew was the only child of Barbara Watt, a primary school Headmistress, and family butcher James Bruce. When Andrew was young, the family moved to Aberdeen where he enjoyed a very happy childhood in Hamilton Place. At that time, his father owned a butcher’s shop at 18 Rose Street.
Educated at Mile End School and Robert Gordon’s College, Andrew enrolled in Medicine at Aberdeen in 1942. Excelling academically, he also took full advantage of extracurricular university life and was a member of the Musicians Union, playing alto sax and clarinet and running the dance band which he took around small towns supporting the national health service. He also played football for which he received a half-blue.
After graduating in 1947 with the McQuibban Prize in Surgery, Andrew continued his training as house-surgeon in the Department of Surgery at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary under Professor Wilson. An active social life continued and, after busy clinical days, the surgeons sometimes enjoyed the atmosphere of local pubs.
In 1948, he was invited to Kingston, Ontario, Canada to do a Rotating Internship and six months of Urology, an experience he thoroughly enjoyed. He returned to Aberdeen in 1950 and married his ‘darling’ wife Margaret Gordon on 21 January at King’s College Chapel. Margaret had worked with his father and assisted in his butcher’s business and wholesale farming activites.
Called to do national service, Andrew joined the British Army in Klagenfurt, Austria as a Graded Surgeon from 1950-1952 and their first child, Iain, was born.
On the family’s return to Aberdeen, Andrew worked at the Royal Infirmary from 1952 to 1958. During this time, he obtained a fellowship from the Royal Society of Surgeons of Edinburgh and second son Andrew James was born.
To continue his urological training as a senior registrar, Andrew joined St. Peter’s Hospital at The Institute of Urology in London in 1959, being promoted the next year to Senior Lecturer. During that time, he acquired the English Fellowship in Surgery.
Despite enjoying living in Brighton and working in the vibrant nation’s capital, the lure of returning to Canada proved too much and in 1960, he was appointed Professor and Chair of the Department of Urology at Queen’s University in Kingston. There, he would train many urologists, some of whom would go on to become department chairs across the country. Among his 154 publications, he is renowned for co-authoring, with Dr Al Morales, the first study showing that BCG treatment could be effective for bladder cancer. It remains in use to this day.
After a brief spell as Department of Urology Chair at McGill University, the University of Toronto invited him to take up the role of Chair of Urology. His infectious smile and superb surgical skills made him a favourite with patients. He believed strongly in personally checking how they were recovering after urological procedures, taking a keen interest in their outcomes. Indeed, many patients became family friends.
Andrew’s profession took him around the world as a guest speaker where his seminars were filled with the very latest medical science, mixed with his great sense of humour. Margaret accompanied him on most of his travels and played an active and supportive role.
During this period, he established a highly active basic research lab where he and Glasgow University microbiology graduate, Dr Gregor Reid, developed probiotic therapy for women that is now used in over thirty countries. One special event Andrew and Gregor organized in Toronto for the Clinical Society of the American Genitourinary Surgeons – a who’s who in urology of which Andrew was a member – saw the Governor General and two highly decorated professors captivate the audience, while Gregor presented Andrew with a “This is Your Life” memento containing letters from colleagues and copies of all his publications.
Retiring as Professor Emeritus in 1996, Andrew kept abreast of the latest advances in urology and established the Andrew and Margaret Bruce Professorship at Queen’s University, which annually attracts top researchers.
Throughout his life, Andrew has proudly retained his love for Aberdeen and Scotland, visiting relatives and friends on a regular basis. Reciprocally, a number of his relatives from Scotland travelled to his 100th birthday celebration. Sons Iain and Andrew, who have successful careers in business and law, both share a strong bond with the north-east of Scotland. The last time Andrew came back to Scotland was in 2018 when Iain treated his dad to a wonderful trip to Aberdeen, honouring Margaret who had sadly passed away. They visited his remaining cousins and friends in both Scotland and England.
As family and colleagues celebrated Andrew’s life in February, it was notable that all spoke fondly of his warmth and caring personality and the extremely high standards he insisted upon in his life and career.
