Professor of Respiratory Diseases and TB. Name: John CroftonCategory: Previous staffRole: Professor of Respiratory Diseases and TBCountry of origin: Dublin, IrelandTime active with Edinburgh Medical School: 1951-1977 John studied medicine at Cambridge and was appointed as Professor of Respiratory Diseases and TB in Edinburgh in 1951, where tuberculosis (TB) was widespread. He discovered that using three different antibiotics to treat TB meant that the effects of resistance were minimised and TB could be successfully treated. This became known as the ‘Edinburgh method’ and was largely responsible for the eradication of TB in Scotland by 1958, saving countless numbers of lives across the world. John became Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and vice president of the University but continued to champion public health through early campaigning against the harmful effects of smoking. He retired and was knighted in 1977, but continued to travel to and advise developing countries in the treatment of TB. He died in 2009 at the age of 97. Despite being one of the greatest physicians of the 20th century, John was considered to be humble, enthusiastic and an excellent teacher. This article was published on 2026-03-11
