James Baird (MB ChB (NZ) 1945, FRCS (Eng) 1949, FRACS 1957) was born 24 January 1922 in Hastings, and received his secondary education at Wellington College. He studied medicine at Otago, graduating in 1945.

Jim spent three years as a house surgeon and surgical registrar at Palmerston North Hospital. There he was introduced to thoracic surgery by David Mitchell, an adventurous general surgeon.

In 1949 Jim went to England, working in Colchester before gaining a registrar appointment with thoracic surgeons Sir Russell (later Lord) Brock and Mr OS Tubbs at Brompton and Guy’s Hospitals in London. There he got a thorough grounding in thoracic surgery and in the evolving field of cardiac surgery. He obtained the FRCS (Eng) in 1949.

Jim returned to New Zealand in November 1952, as the first full-time cardiothoracic surgeon at Wellington Hospital. He introduced modern techniques for lung resection, and he established thoracic endoscopy. He also established surgery for a range of congenital heart disease as well as mitral valvotomy. He consolidated the regional thoracic surgery service, holding regular clinics in Palmerston North, Wanganui, Napier and Gisborne.

In 1955 he was joined by Tim Savage, who had also completed his early training in Palmerston North.

Jim was a strong advocate for disease and accident prevention, and early on in his career in Wellington he led the fight to have hydatid disease eradicated. He strongly urged cessation of smoking in relation to prevention of lung cancer, and he recommended the use of seat belts to reduce chest and other injuries in motor vehicle accidents.

In 1960 Jim undertook study leave to examine developments in thoracic and cardiac surgery in England and the USA, where he visited the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

The second national cardiac surgery unit was established at Wellington Hospital in 1964 as a result of Jim Baird’s meticulous planning and considerable persistence.

Jim’s attention to detail was legendary, and his standards very high. He was regarded by many as a hard taskmaster, but those who knew him well recognised that at all times his interest was primarily in the welfare of his patients.

Patients and their families were greatly appreciative of his dedication as well as the excellence of the treatment they received, and he would spend as much time as it took to help them through difficult times. On a number of occasions, when post-operative recovery was not going smoothly, one might find Jim camped by a patient’s bedside overnight, providing a level of personal intensive care rarely seen.

His ideals for a better and well-respected Wellington Hospital were expounded vigorously during his time as Executive Member and Chairman of the Wellington Hospital Medical Staff, and along with other colleagues he was instrumental in the establishment of the Wellington Clinical School.

He achieved much with his energy, drive and persistence, always backed up by his vision for better conditions and outcomes, not only for his patients but for those of the wider hospital and general community.

Jim was the first president of the Thoracic Society of New Zealand.

The stress of everyday cardiothoracic surgery coupled with difficulties in getting adequate staff and equipment, plus the very long hours began to take their toll of Jim’s health in the 1970s and he took early retirement in 1982.

Jim retired to Hawke’s Bay where he continued for many years to take an active interest in medicine. His varied interests included learning Maori, genealogy, history, photography, and the garden.

Jim died in Hastings on 10 July 2003. He is survived by his wife Peggy, two sons, and a daughter.