Son of a British surgeon, J.B.deC.M. Saunders was born in Grahamstown, South Africa in 1903, and educated there. He took his M.B., Ch.B at the University of Edinburgh in 1925, becoming FRCS, Edinburgh in 1930. Dr. Saunders came to UCSF in 1931 as Asst. Professor of Anatomy, becoming Professor and Chair of the Dept. of Anatomy in 1938, a post he held until 1956. He has also served the campus as Dean, School of Medicine (1956-63), Chair, Dept. of Medical History and Bibliography (1937-73), and University Librarian (1943-1973). In 1959 Dr. Saunders was inaugurated as the first Provost of the UCSF campus, was named the first Chancellor of UCSF in 1964, and served in that position until 1966. In that year he was named to the Regents Chair of Medical History, in the Department of the History of Health Sciences.

Dr. Saunders has carried out research in several areas, including medical history (works on Vesalius and ancient medicine) and the structure and development of bones, the physiology of the muscles and the mechanics of walking. He was a member of numerous professional and honorary societies, among them the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American Association of Anatomists, and the American and British Medical Associations.