Dr George Herbert "Herb" Green |
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Born |
George Herbert Green November 16, 1916 Balclutha, New Zealand |
Died | March 4, 2001 Auckland, New Zealand |
(aged 84)
Nationality | New Zealand |
Occupation | Gynecologist |
Years active | 1946–1982 |
Notable work | Introduction to Obstetrics |
George Herbert "Herb" Green (16 November 1916–4 March 2001), B.A., B.Sc., M.B., Ch.B., (D.Obs. R.C.O.G.), M.R.C.O.G.(Lond.), was a New Zealand Obstetrician and Gynaecologist who led the National Women's Hospital Cervical Cancer Unit as Professor through the 1960s and 1970s and became notorious for conducting an alleged unethical experiment that was the subject of the Cartwright Inquiry.
Green was born in the rural South Otago town of Balclutha, New Zealand. He attended South Otago High School, where he studied University papers before even leaving high school. He later said that one of his teachers died of cervical cancer, and this sparked his lifelong interest in the disease.
Green attended the University of Otago and earned a B.A. in 1938,B.Sc. (including pure and applied mathematics) in 1940, before studying Medicine. He graduated with M.B., Ch.B. in 1946, the same year as Sir Brian Barratt-Boyes. While at University he gained a Blue in Rugby, and also represented Southland in Cricket. He was described as "a powerfully built man who towered over his colleagues".
Green worked at the National Women's Hospital as a House Officer and Registrar from 1948 to 1950. In 1948 he passed the RCOG Diploma in Obstetrics, scoring third highest in the exam. As a registrar he was reported to show an aptitude for statistics and analysis. He gained RCOG Membership in 1950.