Black was born in Shetland but grew up in Angus. He pursued medicine at St Andrews, receiving an MBChB in 1936.

Nephrology

 Black served in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) during World War II, where he noted the dangers of dehydration among soldiers and sailors. He researched fluid and salt balance in the RAMC pathology laboratory in Poona, India. After the war, Black took up a post at the University of Manchester and the affiliated Royal Infirmary. He continued his research on fluid and electrolyte disorders and was appointed professor in 1959.

Inequalities in Health

 Black was an advocate for public health improvements and an enthusiast for the new National Health Service. He left Manchester in 1973 to join the civil service as the government’s chief scientist. He was commissioned to investigate the role of social deprivation in health inequalities.

The ‘Black Report’, officially titled Inequalities in Health (1980), recommended increasing the child benefit and improving housing and working conditions.

The report did not change policy in Britain as it did not fit with the plans of Margaret Thatcher’s incoming government, which sought to cut public spending. However, the report had an international impact, leading to OECD assessments of health inequalities in 13 countries.

Black remained a champion for public health. In 1984, he chaired the government investigation into childhood leukaemia near the Sellafield nuclear power station. His portrait hangs in the Booth Lecture Theatre.

Douglas Black was a successful nephrologist, but his biggest influence on medicine was his investigation into the role of social deprivation in healthcare.