The sudden death of Dr Michael Twomey aged 70 at his home in Cumbria on September 21st  is a loss to the mental health services, as well as to his devoted family. Michael was born in Kent, the fourth of a family of six boys and two girls where his father, Dr Timothy Twomey, was a general practitioner. They returned to County Cork when Michael was three, and he remained in Ireland until he qualified as a doctor twenty-two years later. Michael retained his Irish family approach to the medical practice, whilst giving devoted service to his colleagues as Secretary of the Society of Clinical Psychiatrists.

The stable family background included an industrious childhood, the Twomey's were gifted artistically and musically, whilst Dr Timothy, his father, ran a small farm and all the children were expected to help. Here he developed a practical side to his personality, as well as a love of gardening. He learnt jam making from his mother.

After graduating from the University College, Cork, he went to work as a missionary doctor for two years at a hospital in Nigeria, where he met Ann, who was teaching English in a girls convent boarding school.

Thus Dr Twomey's skills were set up by the broader background which was previously possible, based not just upon his medical training, but that he was fully trained as an obstetrician and gynaecologist, as well as a psychiatrist, and had attained consultant status in those fields. Thus his background was not limited to mental illness and medical treatment.

The breadth of his personality and skills became apparent not only to his family and patients but his colleagues, and he never stinted his help and guidance, when he perceived that he had much to offer, whether it be family, patients or colleagues. Nevertheless, he was an extremely diffident person and always available to his patients and colleagues whenever he could be helpful and effective. The result of this was that he developed very wonderful relationships and friendships resulting in sound guidance.

Michael did not espouse any particular polemic school of psychiatry, so that people with diverse needs could easily relate to him and benefit from his mature personality. He showed these skills by being able to function efficiently in general mental health, old age psychiatry, drug and alcohol services, as well as in the courts and medical conduct committees, where his reliable opinions were gratefully received by the committee. Following retirement his skills and services were sought out by cancer charities and the Red Cross. Doctors with this range of skills are rare and he will be greatly missed.

A doctor of the old school he scorned committee psychiatry, believing it diminished clinical responsibility, was wastefully unproductive of scarce expert resources, reduced doctor patient contact time and was detrimental to clinical care.

Nevertheless, his ability as a Secretary to the Executive Committee of the Society of Clinical Psychiatrists assured its efficient functioning. It was this same sure perceptive human touch that revealed itself in his clinical work.

John Harding Price

Press Officer