Youngson, R.M. 1926-

(Robert M. Youngson, Robert Murdoch Youngson)

PERSONAL: Born November 13, 1926, in Falkirk, Scotland; son of James Youngson (a Presbyterian minister); children: Carol, Robin, France, Annabel, Neil. Education: University of Aberdeen, M.B., Ch.B.; Royal College of Surgeons, D.T.M.&H. (Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene). Politics: Conservative. Religion:“Rationalist.”Hobbies and other interests: Music, playing piano, writing poetry.

ADDRESSES: Home— Dorset, England. E-mail— [email protected].

CAREER: British Army, career officer as ophthalmologist, 1951-86, retiring as colonel; writer, 1986—.

MEMBER: Royal Society of Medicine (fellow), Royal College of Ophthalmologists (fellow), Order of St. John of Jerusalem (officer).

AWARDS, HONORS: Montefiore Prize for Surgery.

WRITINGS

Everything You Need to Know about Contact Lenses, Sheldon (London, England), 1984.

Everything You Need to Know about Your Eyes, Sheldon (London, England), 1985.

Everything You Need to Know about Shingles, Sheldon (London, England), 1986.

How to Cope with Tinnitus and Hearing Loss, Sheldon (London, England), 1986.

Learning to Live with Diabetes, Corgi (London, England), 1987.

Stroke! A Self-Help Manual for Stroke Sufferers and Their Relatives, David & Charles (Newton Abbot, England), 1987.

The Healthy Executive, Telegraph (London, England), 1988.

Grief: Rebuilding Your Life after Bereavement, David & Charles (Newton Abbot, England), 1989.

Collins Dictionary of Medicine, HarperCollins (Glasgow, Scotland), 1992, 3rd edition, 2004, published as Medicine, 1999.

(Coauthor) The Surgery Book, St. Martin’s Press (New York, NY), 1993.

(Coauthor) Collins Gem First Aid, HarperCollins (London, England), 1993, abridged edition published as Collins First Aid, 1994.

The Antioxident Health Plan, Thorsons (London, England), 1994. The Guinness Encyclopedia of Science, Guinness Publishing (Enfield, England), 1994.

The Guinness Encyclopedia of the Human Being, Guinness Publishing (Enfield, England), 1994.

Prescription Drugs, HarperCollins (Glasgow, Scotland), 1994.

Women’s Health, HarperCollins (Glasgow, Scotland, 1994.

(Coauthor) Collins Gem Holiday Health, HarperCollins (Glasgow, Scotland), 1995.

Living with Asthma, Sheldon (London, England), 1995, new edition, 2002.

Coping Successfully with Hay Fever, Sheldon (London, England), 1995.

Coping with Eczema, Sheldon (London, England), 1995.

The Royal Society of Medicine Encyclopedia of Family Health: The Complete Medical Reference Library in One Volume Bloomsbury (London, England), 1995, revised edition published as The Royal Society of Medicine Health Encyclopedia: The Complete Medical Reference Library in One A-Z Volume, 2001.

The Royal Society of Medicine Dictionary of Symptoms: A Complete A-Z of Thousands of Symptoms and Signs, Bloomsbury (London, England), 1996.

The Royal Society of Medicine Encyclopedia of Children’s Health, Bloomsbury (London, England), 1996, published as The Royal Society of Medicine Encyclopedia of Child Health, 1997.

(With Ian Schott) Medical Blunders, New York University Press (New York, NY), 1996.

Royal Society of Medicine Guide to Health in Later Life: Health and Vitality for Everyone in Their Later Years, Bloomsbury (London, England), 1997.

(Compiler) Medical Curiosities: A Miscellany of Medical Oddities, Horrors, and Humours, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1997, published as Medical Curiosities and Mistakes: A Miscellany of Medical Oddities, Horrors, and Humours, Parragon (Bath, England), 1999.

(Coauthor) First Aid, HarperCollins (Glasgow, Scotland), 1997.

Scientific Blunders: A Brief History of How Wrong Scientists Can Sometimes Be, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1998.

Coping with Rheumatism and Arthritis, Sheldon (London, England), 1998.

The Madness of Prince Hamlet and Other Extraordinary States of Mind, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 1999.

(With David B. Jacoby) Encyclopedia of Family Health, 3rd edition, Marshall Cavendish (Tarry-town, NY), 2004.

Author of the free Internet medical encyclopedia NHS Direct Medical Encyclopedia; other writings include Coping with Rheumatism and Arthritis, Sheldon (London, England);Cellular Biology and Genetics, Facts on File;Antioxident Vitamins for Health, Sheldon (London, England); and Collins Dictionary of Human Biology. Also author of nearly twenty unpublished novels.

Youngson’s books have been translated into French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Hungarian, Polish, Bulgarian, Romanian, Russian, Indonesian, Chinese, Japanese, Czech, and Greek.

SIDELIGHTS: R.M. Youngson told CA:“I am a doctor who, after a varied career as a general medical practitioner, medical administrator, lecturer, and clinical consultant, retired from clinical practice to become a full-time writer. I am now an established author with many published books to my credit, including the NHS Direct Medical Encyclopedia, an Internet medical encyclopedia written in simple language and accessible to the public free of charge from the NHS Direct Home Page. It receives thousands of hits every month.

“My work as an army doctor took me to many parts of the world, and about half my medical career was spent abroad, especially in Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. I also worked in Germany, Nepal, Jerusalem, and Cyprus. When I retired from clinical work I was a consultant ophthalmic surgeon and head of army ophthalmology.

“Having made my contribution to popular medicine, science, and technology, I have now moved on to more creative and artistic levels as a writer. My fiction titles represent a continuous learning experience, and I recognize that some of the earlier novels must be regarded as apprentice work. I am now devoting my time to the revision and improvement of the more recent titles.”