Dr. Arthur Templer Davies' M.D. gown, hood and mortar board cap, by Ede, Son and Ravenscroft, 93 Chancery Lane, London, England, 1902-1921

In the United Kingdom an MD is the higher degree of Doctor of Medicine was awarded (and still is) only to those undertaking postgraduate research or rendering distinguished service to the medical profession.

Arthur Templer Davies (1858-1929) read natural sciences at Trinity College, Cambridge, and graduated in 1881. He then studied medicine and became a Bachelor of Medicine (MB) in 1884 and Doctor of Medicine (MD) in 1891. Seen here are the so-called ‘undress’ robes for Davies’s Cambridge MD degree. The black silk gown trimmed with doctor’s lace and the square cap were made by the London robemakers Ede, Son and Ravenscroft, a firm that traded under that name from 1902 to 1921.

Davies was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1894 and had a distinguished career as a consultant specialising in diseases of the chest.