John Portelli writes:
Prof. Herbert Michael Gilles passed away in Devon, England at his youngest son’s home, on October 20, at the venerable age of 95.
He was born in Port Said, Egypt, of Maltese parents and received his entire secondary education at St Edward’s College (1930-1937). He attended the Royal University of Malta, from where he obtained a B.Sc., and in 1946 graduated MD.
From St Edward’s College, Gilles placed first, in Malta, in the Oxford Junior School Certificate. His success as an undergraduate at the University was such that he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship at Magdalen College, Oxford, qualifying M.Sc. in 1951, to later go on to MRCP and to FRCP in 1969.
Prof. Gilles, a consultant to the World Health Organisation, was a world-renowned authority on malaria. He worked in West Africa for some time and was appointed professor of preventive and social medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. From 1976 to 1986, he was professor of tropical medicine and later dean of the faculty of medicine, University of Liverpool, during which time the university took on a leading national and international role.
At Liverpool in the 1950s he was heavily involved in the treatment of British prisoners of war who built the ‘Bridge over the River Kwai’. Prof. Gilles was for many years, starting in 1988, visiting professor of public health at the University of Malta.
He was, in the 1970s and 1980s, consultant to the British Army and the RAF. In 1990 he was awarded the prestigious Darling Medal for his contribution to the understanding of malaria.
His contribution to tropical medicine was recognised by a number of other awards, including the Mary Kingsley Medal from the University of Liverpool and an MD (honoris causa) from the Karolinska Institute, Sweden.
A physician of international standing, Gilles was made a Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George in the Queen Elizabeth II Birthday Honours List 2005.
In 2008 he was appointed Companion of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant by the King of Thailand for his contribution to Mahidol University, Bangkok. Closer home, Gilles was made an Officer of the National Order of Merit of Malta in 2004 and was awarded a D.Sc. (honoris causa) by the University of Malta in 1994 for his services to the Medical School.
Gilles was the author of numerous papers in professional international journals and 13 textbooks, including standard textbooks used by undergraduate and postgraduate students of tropical medicine in medical schools the world over.
A man of many parts, Gilles, a modest, kind and generous gentleman, was as much at ease discussing the latest developments in malaria as he was standing up for Manchester United. He never lost his passion for football, having formed part of the Malta national football team in international soccer in 1946.
An intrepid traveller, globetrotting to advise governments and medical institutions in all four continents until his late 80s, he flew to Canada at the age of 93 for his grandson’s wedding. He was immensely popular with all ages with the great capacity of giving individuals his full attention, however exalted or trivial the subject matter.
He will be sadly missed by his daughter and three sons, and many colleagues and friends the world over.