Born: 
18/02/1928
Died: 
05/05/2012
Specialty: 
Public/Community Health/Epidemiology
Designatory Letters: 
MB Edin 1950, DTM&H 1956, DPH 1960, MRCP Edin 1983, FRCP Edin 1986

(Contributed by Mr John Hunter)

Archibald Dewar McIntyre was born on 18 of February 1928 in a small cottage near Dunipace, the first of three sons to iron fitter James McIntyre and his wife Margaret. He attended Carmuir Primary School and then went on to Falkirk High. On leaving school in 1945 Archie commenced his studies in medicine at Edinburgh University.

Archie graduated MB, ChB in 1950 and went on to practise as a Houseman for a year at Falkirk Infirmary. At this time he heard, applied and was accepted by the Colonial Service who were looking for doctors to go to Sierra Leone for a three year period. Before his departure to Africa, Archie and Effie were married, little knowing that the three year period would turn into a 12 year stay.

Archie had obtained qualifications in tropical diseases medicine. He ran clinics, normally in isolation in bush hospitals hundreds of miles from the nearest medical support, performed surgery and carried out public health works throughout the interior of the country.

During his time as Senior Medical Officer in Sierra Leone he never gave up studying and while on home leaves he gained more postgraduate qualifications including the Edinburgh University Class Medal for the Diploma in Public Health and the Diploma in Industrial Health. He was promoted to Principal Government Medical Officer for the Northern Territory of Sierra Leone. When Independence came to Sierra Leone in 1961 Effie and Archie were presented to Her Majesty the Queen and one of his last duties before leaving the country was to escort Her Majesty around his hospital in Bo.

In 1962, upon his return to Scotland, Archie became Deputy Medical Officer of Health for Stirling County and from there went on to take up a number of posts, culminating his career as Principal Medical Officer for Communicable Diseases and Environmental Health at the Scottish Home and Health Department (SHHD). During this time the team that he led in SHHD played a central role in the implementation in Scotland of national public health initiatives such as immunisation programmes, as well as taking a leading role in the response to incidents of public health significance including the emergence of BSE in cattle, of HIV in the human population, Chernobyl and the grounding of the Braer oil tanker. He was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians. He met the Queen again, shortly before his retirement in 1993, this time at Buckingham Palace, to receive his CBE for Services to Medicine.

He was an Elder of St John’s Church in Linlithgow for many years and then in the l980s joined the fellowship of Bo’ness Baptist Church. He served there as a Deacon and for a number of years was Church Secretary. In 2011 he was honoured to be made a Life Deacon

He is survived by his wife Effie, four children, 12 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.