Born: 
09/02/1921
Died: 
09/11/2007
Specialty: 
Geriatric Medicine
Designatory Letters: 
BSc Edin 1943, MB Edin 1944, MRCP Edin 1949, MD Edin 1954, FRCP Edin 1962, FRCPC, FACP

(Contributed by Dr David Portsmouth)

After qualifying and completing house appointments, Ronald served in the RAF in Egypt, later spending a year as Research Fellow in Vancouver. This was followed by a Medical Senior Registrar post at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham where in 1957 he was appointed “Consultant Gerontologist”. The responsibilities of this post were immense as the department served the southern half of Birmingham City as well as the neighbouring Borough of Solihull and for several years he was a single handed consultant.

Later Ronald became involved in teaching medical students at Birmingham University Medical School and in 1971 together with colleagues he founded the West Midland Institute of Geriatric Medicine.

In 1975 he was appointed Professor and chief of geriatric medicine at the University of Western Ontario in Canada. Here he developed a centre of excellence which played a major role in the training of geriatricians.

In 1997 Ronald and his wife Pat retired to Australia where their two sons and six grandchildren live.

Ronald Cape was a pioneer of elderly care in Britain and Canada. His example and teaching influenced not only doctors but also nurses and therapists. He was held in high esteem by his colleagues who will remember him with great affection. He died from pneumonia following an infected shoulder joint.