By Simon Rocker
The Royal College of Surgeons has chosen what I believe is its first Jewish president.
Professor Norman Williams (right), the director of the Centre for Academy Surgery at Barts and the Royal London Hospital, who alluded to his Jewish origins in his acceptance speech, takes up the post on Thursday.
Originally from Leeds, he is a leader in the field of bowel disorders and author of a prize-winning textbook on Surgery of the Anus, Rectum and Colon.
Other comparable institutions have had Jewish heads, particularly the Royal College of Physicians, which has had several, including Lord Turnberg.
The RCS has had a Jewish vice-president, Professor Harold Ellis, elected in 1985.