Baron Cornelius Ver Heyden de Lancey (1889-1984) was a wealthy and public-spirited Dutchman who at different times in his life was a dentist, doctor, surgeon, barrister and art historian. In 1970 he created the De Lancey and De La Hanty Foundation, to promote studies in medico-legal topics. The Foundation generously gave Cambridge the Ver Heyden de Lancey Fund, which since 1996 has funded occasional public lectures on medico-legal issues of current interest.

The 2011 Baron Ver Heyden de Lancey Lecture on Medico-Legal Studies was delivered by Sir Peter Lachmann FRS FMedSci, on 18th November 2011, and was entitled "The Penumbra of Thalidomide: The Litigation Culture and the Licensing of Pharmaceuticals".

For more information about the Baron Ver Heyden de Lancey Lecture series, please see http://www.lml.law.cam.ac.uk/events/vhdl-events