obituaries: Professor Geoffrey Dawes

May I add briefly to the obituaries of Professor Geoffrey Dawes [by Professor C.W.G. Redman and Dr John Walker, 16 May]? writes Professor Gustav Born.

As Director of the new Nuffield Institute for Medical Research from the remarkably early age of 30, Dawes did much more than justify the electors' confidence in his scientific ability. From the start he also imbued it with the splendid human qualities which made working with him such a joy. He had the unselfconscious benevolence of the best in any field. So he created an institute which, in its congenial fellowship and lack of envy, was characteristic of Britain's attractive scientific scene before its erosion through the imposition of "market forces" where they do not belong.

Unsurprisingly he had an exceptionally stable team which participated in all the important discoveries, such as the closure mechanism of the ductus arteriosus.

Although Geoffrey Dawes took me on to do the biochemical work in his physiological experiments, he quite explicitly provided the time, space and support needed for getting going with my own research. This was typical of his generosity.