Sir Hugh William Bell Cairns KBE FRCS (26 June 1896 – 18 July 1952) was an Australian neurosurgeon. For most of his life he lived in England. His concern about despatch rider injuries sparked research which led to increased use of motorcycle helmets. After one of his patients died, who was Lawrence of Arabia, he studied the positive effect the use of motorbike helmets had on reducing the severity of head injuries.