With the passing away of Victor Griffiths, Malta, and especially Maltese medicine, has lost a man of the highest calibre. I crossed paths with Griffiths at several stages of my surgical training and at all times I was impressed by two of his many assets: he was a dedicated professional and a gentleman.
In the early 1960s he was our Professor of Anatomy, a subject in which he excelled. With only a blackboard and chalk, he built from scratch whole areas of the human body, starting from the underlying bones and superimposing soft tissues, and laced it with a running commentary and a modicum of humour. When I was later in London to continue my surgical training and was exposed to the top names in anatomy, I realised that Griffiths was there, with the very best. He subsequently guided our medical course as Professor of Surgery.
Griffiths was an innovative and bold surgeon. He was the first thoracic (chest) surgeon and a very skilled abdominal surgeon, not afraid to tackle difficult situations where others feared to tread. He made difficult surgery look routine.
On my return from the UK, he was a great help to me (and to all other surgical trainees) when, as director and head of the Department of Surgery, he encouraged me in my specialisations. When I took over from him on his retirement, he wrote me a letter which was typical of him: generous and full of encouragement.
However Griffiths will not be remembered solely as a surgeon. He was a leader in various spheres of Maltese society. He promoted the interests of the medical profession in difficult times and served as ombudsman to our University. Articulate in the English language, literature and medical history, he was also very fond of reading, theatre and classical music and was a much appreciated and amusing after-dinner speaker.
In all this he has always had by his side his dear wife, Mary, also a doctor, and his children, to whom go my sincere condolences as well as those of his many friends and patients.