John Lee (pathologist)

John Andre Lee (born 1961)[1] is a retired English pathologist who was formerly clinical professor of pathology at Hull York Medical School and consultant histopathologist at Rotherham General Hospital, later becoming the Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust's Director of Cancer Services.[2] Lee gained a BSc and a PhD in physiology at University College London, and then a medical degree subsequently specialising in pathology.

Anatomy for Beginners

Lee became known to a wider public after participating in a public autopsy in November 2002 with Gunther von Hagens, creator of the Body Worlds exhibition.[3] This led to three television series as co-presenter with von Hagens, Anatomy for Beginners (screened in the UK on Channel 4 in 2005), Autopsy: Life and Death (Channel 4, 2006) and Autopsy: Emergency Room (Channel 4, 2007).

In the first series, various aspects of human anatomy were explored, with von Hagens dissecting cadavers to illustrate certain points. In the later series particular diseases were highlighted and explained, again with dissections of cadavers, allowing direct observation of the symptoms in humans.

During these programmes, Lee provided the background information about, and elucidation regarding, von Hagens' ongoing dissections. In essence, he was used to 'cut away' whilst the less telegenic parts of the dissection proceeded. This background information was usually shown on a television monitor and ensured that the audience could follow the doctors as they worked. Further anatomical and medical information was demonstrated on live models (nude persons with the relevant internal organs drawn and/or projected on to their body).

2020 Coronavirus epidemic

In 2020, shortly after his retirement, Lee wrote several prominent articles in The Spectator magazine critical of the UK Government's approach to the Covid 19 coronavirus outbreak,[4][5] and in particular of the UK Government's lockdown of the UK from late March, arguing that the threat from the disease and the number of deaths being attributed to it were overstated, and that the Government response was an overreaction. In an interview on talkRADIO in January 2021, Lee claimed that the number of deaths was below average for the time of year. Fact checking organisation Full Fact challenged that this was incorrect and in the final four weeks of 2020 the number of deaths was higher than the last five years.[6]

Other activities

Lee is a public patron of Humanists UK.[1]

On 15 September 2010, Lee, along with 54 other public figures, signed an open letter published in The Guardian, stating their opposition to Pope Benedict XVI's state visit to the UK.[7]

References
  1. Professor John A Lee, Humanists UK. Accessed 17 May 2020
  2. Directory of Rotherham Cancer Services, February 2010. Accessed 17 May 2020.
  3. Screened by Channel 4 on 20 November 2002.
    David Cohen, Televised autopsy dissects public opinion, New Scientist, 21 November 2002
    John A Lee, Public understanding of science: mind the gap, Physiology News, The Physiological Society, Summer 2003 doi:10.36866/pn.51.22
    John A Lee, Over my dead body, The Lancet, December 2004. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(04)17642-3
  4. Writers: Dr John Lee, The Spectator magazine website. Accessed 17 May 2020
  5. "Under the Corona Act, Dr Shipman could have got away with more murders | Ronan Maher". The Critic Magazine. 19 May 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  6. "More people are dying than usual at the moment". Full Fact. 8 January 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  7. "Letters: Harsh judgments on the pope and religion". The Guardian. London. 15 September 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
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