[1] He was born in Paisley, Scotland on 9 June 1887, the son of John Menzies Campbell, an inspector of the poor, and his wife Agnes.

[3] For the rest of his life he became an avid collector of dental books and instruments and of pictures and advertisements relating to dentistry.

[5] His contribution to the history of dentistry was recognised at an early stage so that In 1918 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, an unusual honour for a 31 year old.

He instituted a triennial lecture series at the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the RCSEng in 1959, and donated his personal library to that College in 1964.

[2] His collection of instruments, memorabilia and paintings is now held at the Surgeons' Hall Museum in Edinburgh, and has been described as being one of the finest in the United Kingdom.

Prominent among the cartoons depicting dental themes is coloured lithograph by Thomas Rowlandson shows tooth transplantation from a young sweep into the mouth of a fashionable lady.

[10] Shirlaw graduated MB ChB from University of St Andrews School of Medicine in 1918, and went on to work as a house surgeon at Doncaster Royal Infirmary.