A FORMER orthopaedic surgeon who co-founded the post-graduate medical centre at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital, has died at the age of 90.

Derick Strange, who was born in China and educated at Rugby School, became a student at the London Hospital Medical College in 1930, qualifying four years later. After serving at hospitals around the country he was appointed honorary consultant orthopaedic surgeon for the Canterbury and Thanet hospitals in 1947.

For the following five years he was on emergency call for orthopaedics and trauma 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. After that, and until he retired in 1975, this cover was for two weeks out of every three and he also covered for colleagues' holidays.

Between 1947 and his retirement Mr Strange held many appointments in the area, including being honorary surgeon to Kent County Cricket Club, honorary associate surgeon to the Miners' Welfare Commission for the four Kent collieries and honorary orthopaedic surgeon to the Cripplecraft home (now Strode Park).

Mr Strange held regular operating sessions at Faversham Cottage Hospital and at Whitstable and Tankerton Hospital and he started the orthopaedic services in east Kent.

In the early 1960s he discovered that there was a substantial waiting list at Kent and Canterbury Hospital for orthopaedic operations. He called a meeting of all staff and got them to agree that there would be two extra operations per session. After six months the waiting list was eliminated and never again, during his career, was there a substantial orthopaedic waiting list at the K&C.

He started elective orthopaedic surgery at the Royal Sea Bathing Hospital, Margate, and initiated and supervised the building of the accident centre at Kent and Canterbury and designed the resuscitation room.

He was co-founder of the post-graduate medical centre at Kent and Canterbury as well as co-founder of the hospital's library.

He retired from the NHS in 1975 and in 1988 the F. G. St Clair Strange annual lecture at the post-graduate centre was inaugurated by his colleagues in his honour. Mr Strange was the subject of the first lecture. The organisers have pledged to continue the lectures.

Mr Strange lectured around the world and had a publishing career spanning 59 years in which he wrote books, numerous papers and articles and research documents. He also played rugby for Canterbury from 1951-53.

From 1960-1999 Mr Strange lived in Harbledown, near Canterbury, and then at the Old Rectory, Ickham. He died at a nursing home in Herne Bay. He leaves three children, 10 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

The funeral will take place at Ickham Church tomorrow (Friday) at 3pm. A memorial and thanksgiving service is planned for July.