over obstetric operations to general surgeons. A sum was collected to found a memorial to him in the new King's College Hospital at Denmark Hill, London. Linda Kitson case In 1896 an action was brought against Playfair by a patient, Linda Kitson, for an alleged breach of professional confidence. It is notable for the high damages of £12,000 awarded against him by the jury; this amount was then reduced by agreement to £9,200 on application for a new trial. Playfair, who was related to Kitson by marriage (she was married to but separated from his wife's younger brother), considered in his professional opinion that she had recently been pregnant. When Playfair decided to exclude female members of his family from her company, on moral grounds, Kitson sued. Leading doctors spoke in court in support of his actions but the judge found them unacceptable, in line with general public opinion on medical confidentiality. Works Playfair was a prolific author, and wrote: Handbook of Obstetric Operations, 1865. Science and Practice of Midwifery, 1876; 9th edit. 1898, translated into several languages. Notes on the Systematic Treatment of Nerve Prostration and Hysteria connected with Uterine Disease, 1881. He was joint editor with Clifford Allbutt of a System of Gynæcology (1896; 2nd edition revised by Thomas Watts Eden, 1906). He contributed to Richard Quain's Dictionary of Medicine (1882) the article on "Diseases of the Womb", and to Daniel Hack Tuke's Dictionary of Psychological Medicine (1892) the article on "Functional Neuroses". His work in medical periodicals included 49 papers for the Transactions of the Obstetrical Society. Family On 26 April 1864 Playfair married Emily, daughter of James Kitson of Leeds and sister of James Kitson, 1st Baron Airedale. Together they had three daughters and two sons, one of them being Nigel Ross Playfair, the actor-manager. References Attribution 1835 births 1903 deaths Scottish obstetricians Scottish medical writers People from St Andrews Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Medical School