Judson Sykes Bury

“ I am inclined to think that honesty and courage were the two most prominent features of his character. Surely no man was ever more sorely stricken. The loss of his three sons and the quite recent death of his wife were terrible blows, but Thorburn, deeply wounded, still held on to courage. As Sir J. M. Barrie said in his rectorial address at St. Andrews University last year, "Courage is the thing. All goes if courage goes." ”

“ It became more and more obvious during these latter years that Sir William's interests were turning in the direction of medical politics, and his untimely death has been a blow to all of us, his students and his colleagues, who felt that he might one day have filled with distinction the presidential chair of the Royal College of Surgeons. Sir William was, I should say, by nature a very nervous and a very self-conscious man, and his aloofness and somewhat terrifying personality were of the nature of over-compensation in the opposite direction. ”

“ As regards personal character, it is painful to reflect that it rarely seems fitting to tell our dearest friends how much we respect and admire them, and that such feelings can Only be fully expressed after our friends have been taken from us. Thorburn was a true and loyal friend, and, although at times there was a certain aloofness in his conversation and manner, his friends knew that this was but a cover for a generous spirit and a kind, unselfish disposition. ”