Wilbert Hurst-Brown

Wilbert Hurst-Brown was born on a farm far from the nearest school, so he was initially taught by his mother. At the age of 7 he moved to Regina, Saskatchewan, where he attended school. After his graduation in 1917 he joined the Royal Flying Corps. When the war ended he returned to his university courses. In 1921 he began studying medicine at the University of Toronto. He was appointed a Rhodes Scholar and continued his studies at Lincoln College, Oxford, and at St. Mary’s Hospital, graduating in 1925. After further studies, he was awarded the Bachelor of Surgery in 1928, in the same year that he represented Great Britain in ice hockey at the 1928 Winter Olympics. A member of the London Lions in 1931, he also played for the Prince’s and Queen’s clubs.

Hurst-Brown’s post-graduate training lasted until 1936 and took him to various hospitals in Canada, the UK, and Germany. Subsequently, Hurst-Brown returned to Canada and worked at the Department of Medicine of the University of Toronto and the Toronto Western Hospital until his retirement in 1962. He was active in various medical fields but his main achievements were in cardiology. During World War II Hurst-Brown acted as Chairman of the Army Committee on Medical Research.