Obituary of Dr. Barry Shandling

<p style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;<strong>BARRY SHANDLING<br />MB, ChB, FRCS(Eng), FRCS(C), FACS<br /><em>Professor Emeritus Department of Surgery, University of Toronto</em></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</p> <p>Passed away on October 1^st, 2016 at Sunnybrook Hospital after a long illness. Dr. Shandling was born in South Africa on February 20^th, 1928, graduating from the University of Cape Town in 1950. He did postgraduate work at the Royal College of Surgeons and at the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street in London, England, specializing in Paediatric Surgery. He married Mary Elizabeth Gordon in 1959 and with their infant daughter, immigrated to Canada in 1961. He worked at The Hospital for Sick Children (now known as SickKids) in Toronto as a staff surgeon where he taught generations of young surgeons his meticulous, gentle operative techniques, as well as caring for little children, and kindness and consideration for their families.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Upon his retirement in 1996, he was appointed Professor Emeritus in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto. Dr. Shandling, as his personal Centennial project in 1967, founded and was a past-President of the Canadian Association of Paediatric Surgeons. In 1972 he was the first surgeon in Canada successfully to separate Siamese twins and also the first to succeed in treating infants in Canada with atresia of the bile ducts. As Director of the Bowel Clinic at the Hugh MacMillan Medical Centre (now known as the Bloorview MacMillan Centre) he was responsible for improving the quality of life for thousands of incontinent children and teenagers and their families, both in Canada and throughout the world, as a consequence of his inventions and innovations. His delightful letters to referring doctors reflected his sense of humour and were prized by those who received them. He traveled widely as a Visiting Professor, lecturing on many different paediatric surgical subjects.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>In addition to surgery Dr. Shandling&rsquo;s interests included fly-fishing, cooking, music, the English language and history. He loved his two Siamese cats. He was a member of the Churchill Society as well as the Royal Commonwealth Society. He is survived by Mary, his beloved wife of 57 years, his older daughter Susan Shandling of Milton (Byron), his son Ian (Clare) of Shinfield, Berkshire, England and younger daughter Alexandra (Richard) of Hudson, Quebec, as well as by his six cherished grandchildren, Graham and Emma Bignell, Alexander and Christopher Shandling, Elizabeth and Felix Gratton. Private cremation. If wished, memorial donations to SickKids Hospital, 555 University Avenue, Toronto ON, M5G 1E2.</p>