1890–1948
Mount Pleasant Cemetery
Plot 3 Lot 23
Roscoe Reid Graham was a trailblazer in Canadian surgical history. Born in Lobo, Ont., Graham graduated from the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine in 1910. After early training at St. Michael’s Hospital and further studies at St. Bartholomew’s in London, England, he returned to Toronto, where he became a senior surgeon at Toronto General Hospital and the first Division Head of General Surgery.
Graham’s contributions to medicine were groundbreaking. In 1929, he performed the first successful removal of an insulinoma, a rare pancreatic tumour, an achievement that placed him among North America’s most innovative surgeons. In 1937, he came up with the “Graham Patch” – a way for doctors to fix a hole in the first section of the small intestine (called the duodenum) by using a piece of fatty tissue from inside the belly. This simple yet effective method remains a cornerstone in ulcer surgery worldwide. He also authored definitive works on rectal prolapse repair and served as editor of Annals of Surgery, educating and influencing generations of surgeons.
Beyond his technical skill, Graham was admired for his patient-centered philosophy, cautioning against unnecessary interventions, a principle that resonates in modern medicine. His legacy lives on through the Roscoe Reid Graham Scholarship in Surgical Science, established by his wife, Beatrice, to support young surgical researchers at the University of Toronto.
Tragically, Graham died of a heart attack on January 17, 1948, while skiing near Collingwood, Ont.
Sources:
• Jefferson Digital Commons – Biography: Roscoe Reid Graham
• University of Toronto – The Surgical Spotlight: Roscoe Reid Graham & Surgical Science
• Mount Pleasant Group - Roscoe Reid Graham
