Martin Birnstingl
 Martin Birnstingl  (surgeon, activist) | |
|---|---|
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| Born | June 17, 1924, |
| Died | January 21, 2011 (Age 86) |
| Alma mater | Bedales school, St Bartholomew's medical school |
| Interests | David Kelly |
British surgeon who questioned the verdict of suicide given on the death of the arms inspector David Kelly | |
Martin Birnstingl was "a leading vascular surgeon and a passionate campaigner for human rights who employed his medical expertise on many occasions to challenge the official line."[1]
Activities
Birnstingl was educated at Bedales school in Petersfield, Hampshire, and after that trained at St Bartholomew's medical school. Except for a year as a Fulbright scholar in San Francisco, he spent his whole working life at Barts and was senior surgeon when he left. Committed to the NHS, "he was horrified when the relentless privatisation began and could not understand why there was so little opposition."[2]
He went to Hanoi on behalf of the Stockholm tribunal (initiated by Bertrand Russell) as a witness to the destruction of medical infrastructure by US bombers]. In 1982 he was in Beirut with the paediatrician Pam Zinkin and Steven Rose of the Open University with a similar brief – their concern was with the aftermath of the massacre of refugees at the Sabra and Shatila camps.[2][3]
He was also one of the "Kelly gang" – a group of doctors who question the verdict of suicide given on the death of the arms inspector David Kelly and who continue to campaign for a full official inquest.[2]
A Document by Martin Birnstingl
| Title | Document type | Publication date | Subject(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:DrFrostMemorial.pdf | report | 14 September 2010 | David Kelly/Premature death Hutton Inquiry | A challenge to the Hutton Inquiry's report by a team of doctors demanding a full inquest in light of new evidence. |
