James Frederick Douglas

James Douglas was born in Portadown in 1938, the son of James Douglas, an army padre killed in Normandy in 1944, and Annie Hildegard Douglas. After attending Portora Royal School, Enniskillen, James won a scholarship to study law at Wadham College, Oxford, graduating in 1960 with the top mark in his year. He qualified as a barrister in 1962 and was a lecturer in the College of Law (London and Guildford) from 1962 to 1964.

Finding that a legal career was not to his liking, James decided that medicine might better suit him. Having no relevant scientific qualifications, he taught himself the necessary chemistry and biology to meet the entrance exam requirements. He was allowed back to Wadham …