John Henry Marks | |
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| Born | (1925-05-30)30 May 1925 Hackney, London, England |
| Died | 20 September 2022(2022-09-20) (aged 97) |
| Relatives | Vincent Marks (brother) |
John Henry Marks (30 May 1925 – 20 September 2022) was an English medical doctor who was Chairman of theBritish Medical Association, a position he held from 1984 to 1990.[1]
His six-year term is unique[citation needed] – at the time he was leading the Association and the profession in a campaign againstKenneth Clarke'sreforms of the NHS based on the untried concept of an internal market. He played a major role in defending theAbortion Act 1967 in the face of attacks by "pro-lifers" includingVictoria Gillick and the MPsDavid Alton and Sir Russell Brain. In 1970 he successfully led the campaign against the BMA Council's decision to recommend an annual registration fee to the GMC without prior reform of its constitution. He also played a major role in campaigns in favour of restrictingsmacking, the wearing ofseat belts, and respecting theconfidentiality of sufferers fromAIDS.
Marks was born in London, and was educated atTottenham County School and theUniversity of Edinburgh, qualifying on 5 July 1948, the day that the NHS started. Following hospital posts and service in theRAMC he resided inElstree,[2] and worked as a General Practitioner inBorehamwood, 1954–90.
Marks was an MD, a Fellow of theRoyal College of General Practitioners and aDObst RCOG of theRoyal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. His autobiography,The NHS: Beginning, Middle and End? was published in May 2008.
In August 2018, it was noted that Marks, then 93, was one of the few surviving doctors who joined theNational Health Service during the era of its creation 70 years prior.[3] He died on 20 September 2022, at the age of 97.[4] His brother,Vincent Marks, was a clinical pathologist and biochemist.[5]
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