British Homoeopathic Journal July 1997, Vol. 86, p. 191

Lee Holland MB BCh, MRCPsych, MRCGP, MFHom

It is with great sadness that we have to report the death of Lee Ho l l and in an acc iden t on Friday 2 May 1997. His family, colleagues, friends, students and patients were all devastated by the suddenness of his death. We, his fe l low co l l eagues of the H o m o e o p a t h i c Phys ic ians Teaching Group who were due to have lectured with him some days later, found ourselves instead amongst some 200 people attending his funeral in Oxford on 9 May. A memorial tribute led by the hospital chaplain was held in his honour that same afternoon by the staff of the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital, where he had recently been appointed as a consultant.

Lee was brought up in Merseyside and qualified in medicine at Cardiff in 1973. He entered psychiatric training in London and at the Littlemore Hospital in Oxford, gaining his membersh ip of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He then entered general prac- tice in Clifton, Hampden, near Abingdon, becoming a Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners. It was during this time that Lee developed his deep and enduring interest in homoeopathy. After four years as an NHS principal, he retrained at the Faculty of Homoeopathy in London and gained his Faculty Membership.

Lee left general practice in 1984 to work as a homoeopath ic physician in Farndon Road, Oxford, since which time he further developed his understanding of the scale and dep th of h o m o e o p a t h y by s tudies wi th G e o r g e Vi thou lkas and o ther c lass ica l homoeopa ths . Throughout this t ime he sought to integrate his psychotherapeutic, skills with the demanding art of homoeo- pathic case h is tory taking, and became widely renowned for his sensitive and skilful app roach to the d ive r s i ty of p r o b l e m s brought by his many patients from all over the country.

In 1992, Lee joined with seven like-minded medical colleagues to found the Homoeopathic

Physicians Teaching Group based in Oxford, whose aim was to pro- vide a 3-year part-time modular course in homoeopathic medicine for physicians, vets and pharma- cists. I~e ' s vision of excellence in teaching and keeping alive the spirit of the course was a source of inspiration to all of us who worked closely with him. Fired by enthusi-

asm, he developed the course modules and creatively moulded them into an elegant and coherent learning and teaching structure, not only for the hundred or so students who attended, but also for us as a group of teachers. His profound knowledge of interpersonal dynamics ensured that human values remained at the heart of the course to reflect that spirit he so passionately upheld in all his dealings. No one at the annual HPTG dinner will forget his 'worse-than-Dylan' rendition of the song he composed called 'Psora'. Nor will we easily forget the group games he persuaded us to introduce at the start of group teaching sessions that invariably brought people together in a spirit of humour, promoting authenticity and inclusiveness which always made learning a fun and creative endeavour.

Lee had a passion for helping others to both grow within themselves and to develop their own unique talent. Patients benefited not only from his homoeopathic prescribing but also from his overall process of consultation and treatment. The physicians and health profes- sionals he taught often appreciated his help in the profound journey they were making in shift- ing their perception of disease as something alien and separate from health. In 1996 he reduced his private practice to take up the post of consultant physician at the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital where his enterprising spirit and enthusiasm will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Our thoughts and care go to his wife, Jenny, and two sons, Oliver and Isaac. A 'Lee Holland Memorial Fund' has been set up to fund an annual prize lecture in honour of his memory.

ALICE GREENE

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