Bond , Charles John , 1856-1939 , surgeon

Charles John Bond was born in Bittersby, Leicestershire, in 1856. He was educated at Repton from 1871-1973, was engaged in farming for a few months, and entered the Leicester Infirmary as a pupil in 1875. He went to University College London, in 1875, where he won the gold medals in physiology and anatomy, the silver medals in surgery, midwifery, and forensic medicine, and was an assistant demonstrator of anatomy. He was house surgeon from Bedford General Infirmary from 1879, until he was appointed resident house surgeon at the Leicester Royal Infirmary in 1882. Here he was surgeon from 1886-1912, when he resigned and was appointed consulting surgeon and vice-president. He acted as chairman of the drug and medical stores committee of the infirmary from 1925-1932. He retired from private practice in 1912 but retained his hospital appointment. During World War One he was gazetted temporary honorary colonel in 1915, was appointed consulting surgeon to the military hospital in the Northern command, and was the representative of the Medical Research Council on the inter-allied committee on the treatment of war wounds. The meetings of the committee were held at Paris from 1916-1918. After the War he served on Leicester city council for two years; was a member of the Leicester health insurance committee from 1918-1920; and on the advisory council of the National Insurance Committee; and was president of the Literary and Philosophical Society in 1901 and again in 1935. For his civic work he was rewarded in 1925 with the freedom of the city of Leicester, and in 1924 he became a Fellow of University College. In 1928 he gave the Calton memorial lecture on 'Racial Decay'. His friendship with Charles Killick Millard, MD Ed, medical officer of health for Leicester, led him to take an active part in launching the Voluntary Euthanasia Legalisation Society. For eight years he was a member of the Industrial Fatigue Research Board; of the Departmental Commissions on cancer and blindness; and the Trevithin committee on the prevention of venereal disease. He died in 1939.