Gained BSc (Hons) at Birmingham University in microbiology in 1955
Gained x2 publications based on material for his BSc thesis
Unforeseen circumstances orientated his intended career in agricultural microbiology
In 1995 he joined the scientific staff of the Medical Research Council’s Industrial Injuries and Burns Unit at the Birmingham Accident Hospital.
In 1956 he gained his PhD also at Birmingham University for a thesis entitled “the effect of microbial products on the metabolism of mammalian skin in vitro”. This led to a number of publications concerning the effect of bacterial toxins and other bacteriological metabolism on skin together with information concerning the comparative toxicity of therapeutic material
Some of his work provided the basis of the guidance issues by the British Standard Institution concerning safe surface temperatures which is widely used
1975 he became a Member of the Institute of Biology and was elected to Fellowship in 1979
In 1979 Dr Lawrence succeeded Professor E Lowbury as Bacteriologist-in-charge of the West Midlands Regional Burns Unit (the largest burns treatment centre in the UK) which was situated at the Birmingham Accident Hospital
In 1979 he was awarded an Honorary Consultancy with the West Midlands Regional Health Authority
In 1982 he formed the Charitable Burns Research Group which replaced the Industrial Injuries and Burns Unit on the retirement of its Director. At that time the group had 4 full time graduates and 7 support staff together with several post graduate students
Dr Lawrence’s work eventually was almost exclusively concerned with wound care
Dr Lawrence had an interest in education since 1959 he had been an Honorary Research Fellow at the Department of Investigative Pathology (Birmingham University)
From 1983 he was Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at the Department of Medical Microbiology at Birmingham University
He regularly supervised post graduate students reading for MSc or PhD
He was an occasional examiner to the University of Dundee and City of Birmingham Polytechnic
He frequently taught on wound dressings, infection and wound healing and also on speciality courses for both clinicians and nurses organised by the British Postgraduate Medical Federation and the Royal College of Nursing respectively
He produced a film “Bacterial Infection of Wounds” which won a British Medical Association Bronze Award in 1979
Secretary of the British Burns Association 1983-1991
Member of Council of the Institute of Accident Surgery
Chaired the National Advisory Panel on Personal Safety from 1983-86
Dr Lawrence by 1991 had published nearly 200 papers many of which are in well recognised journals and he was the sole author of a substantial number.