Margaret Claire Eisner (“Maggie”) was born in Cardiff. She was the only child of Conrad, a law graduate, and Gisela, a doctor, who met at Prague University and escaped from Hitler’s Europe to south Wales in 1939. The family moved to Essex in 1954, where Maggie’s mother became assistant medical officer for Essex County Council. Conrad died in 1958, and Gisela steadfastly continued to combine motherhood with full time work.
Maggie won a scholarship to St Paul’s School for Girls and studied medicine at Somerville College, Oxford. Throughout her career she combined an extraordinary intellect with passion for social justice and commitment to democratic working.
After qualifying, work at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital in London cemented a lifelong interest in …