John Daniel Bergin

Who was John Daniel Bergin?

John Daniel "Jack" Bergin FRACP FRCP was a distinguished neurologist and Catholic pro-life apologist. He was born in Stratford, New Zealand to Martin Bernard Bergin and Minni Bergin. Martin Bergin was a barrister and solicitor in Stratford. Minni was a full-time mother and homemaker who died when Jack was only 12 years old, leaving a large family.

Jack Bergin received his secondary education at St Patrick’s College, Silverstream, and went on to study medicine at the University of Otago. He graduated with distinction in 1943, then went to serve with the New Zealand Medical Corps at World War II in the Middle East, Italy and Japan. Upon returning to New Zealand he worked in medicine in Dunedin and Wellington Hospitals before travelling to Britain where he was a student and house physician at the Royal Post Graduate Medical School at Hammersmith. He graduated from Hammersmith in 1948, and received a Nuffield Fellowship which led to his appointment to the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases, Queen Square, London.

In 1956 Bergin returned to New Zealand and succeeded Dr I.M. Allen as the second neurologist to Wellington Hospital.