Dr. Marjory Warren and the origin of British geriatrics

Abstract

The life and works of the pioneer British geriatrician, Marjory Warren, are worthy of closer examination. The transformation of a Public Assistance Institution into her unit at the West Middlesex Hospital in 1935 represented the first organized geriatric medicine service in the United Kingdom. She promoted multidisciplinary rehabilitation and holistic appreciation of elderly patients, and emphasized the economic, social, and moral problems associated with their care. She was particularly concerned with the rehabilitation of hemiplegics and amputees, preventive medicine, patient responsibility, and home nursing. She underscored the need for geriatrics to maintain a close link with general medicine and its training programs. Her innovative methods, influential writings, committee work, and personal force were instrumental in the evolution of modern British geriatrics and rehabilitation medicine.