Friends and colleagues with or without arthritis from all over the world met in Southwark Cathedral on 16 February 2002 to remember and celebrate the life and work of Barbara Ansell, the doyen of paediatric rheumatology. So ended another chapter in the History of Paediatric Rheumatology—a book with a preface by Thomas Phaire and the first chapter by Sir George Frederic Still.

Dr Ansell, a Midlander, was educated at the Kings High School, Warwick and at Birmingham University (MB ChB 1946, MD with Honours 1969). She held the virtually unique distinction of Fellowship of three Royal Colleges (Physicians of London 1967, Surgeons of England 1985, and Paediatrics and Child Health 1997). In 1982 she was awarded the CBE. She was author of over 360 …