Lindsay Hurst was born in Kingston-upon-Hull on 17 June 1924, the son of a general practitioner. He was educated at Repton School and Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he read for the Natural Sciences Tripos with part 2 in anatomy. His clinical studies were at University College Hospital, London. He graduated as BA (Cantab) in 1945, MA in 1947 and MB BChir in 1949. He obtained the DPM in 1958, MRCPsych in 1971 and was elected FRCPsych in 1979.

Lindsay held consultant posts at Mapperley and St Francis’ Hospitals, Nottingham, before moving to Moorhaven and Plymouth General Hospitals in 1971 where he remained until his retirement in 1989. In 1973 he was appointed visiting Professor at Rochester State Hospital, N.Y. and in 1973 was accorded status of Clinical Teacher in Mental Health at Bristol University. He served as ‘second opinion approved doctor’ to the Mental Health Act Commission and was a most respected medical member of the south-west mental health review tribunals for many years.

He published papers on a variety of subjects, including schizophrenia, senile psychoses, porphyria, the care of the older adult with mental illness, neuroleptic treatment and the ‘savant’ state. Unusually for a psychiatrist, his last paper was on the comparative anatomy of the hand.

Lindsay had a lifelong interest in etymology and languages, particularly classical Greek and Latin. It is apropos to note that he had edited the Cambridge University Medical Society magazine and the University College Hospital magazine. He had an extensive library of rare books and colleagues may well remember his delight at having obtained a copy of Holinshed’s Chronicles, from which, it is thought, Shakespeare drew his histories. His eyes would sparkle when offering an especially good burgundy and when, in committee, he would demolish a specious argument with a witty aphorism.

He had a warm and generous personality, was conscientious in the treatment of his patients and an inspiration to his trainees.

Lindsay died suddenly, as he would have wished, while tending his garden in Kingsbridge, South Devon, on 18 July 2005. He is survived by Margaret, whom he married in 1966, and their three sons of whom he was justly proud.