Lord Howe of Aberavon
His Honour Charles Gibson writes: In 1969, standing in for a few days as Geoffrey Howe’s junior in a disciplinary hearing against a hospital consultant, I heard an example of the wit of which others have written (obituary, Oct 12).
The consultant was alleged to have been grossly uncaring towards patients. One allegation was that when his attention was drawn to a man in a very bad way, he swept past, saying, “Leave him; let the old bugger die.” The consultant’s answer to this was that, seeing the patient was in great difficulty, he had said something in Latin to the effect of requiescat in pace [rest in peace]. In an aside intended to be heard by all, Howe