Barnett In a tribute to the late Michael Isaac Barnett (PJ, March 18, p435), Mr COLIN RANSHAW (chairman of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Welsh Executive) writes: It is with a great deal of sadness that I am putting pen to paper over the death of Dr Mike Barnett.
Mike was one of those people whom I seem to have always known, but in reality, if my memory serves me well, we must have only met about 1986, shortly after I moved to the Cardiff area. Mike was certainly one of those larger-than-life characters and once met was never forgotten. He was always very cheerful and always seemed to have a permanent glint in his eyes, an endearing trait that enabled him to communicate so effectively.
Being a quality control pharmacist, I had a lot in common with Mike, and we had frequent discussions on the stability of total parenteral nutrition solutions. Mike had developed a tremendous expertise in this area, and he addressed quality control and production pharmacists in Wales on more than one occasion.
Mike was chairman of the Society's Welsh Executive when I was first elected to it and in the history of the executive he is the only pharmacist to have been chairman for three years. This was a reflection of his ability and the high esteem in which he was held by the executive. The way Mike conducted meetings and the broad depth of knowledge he displayed across all areas of pharmacy practice both in committee and in public speeches had a profound effect upon me. He has indeed been a tough act to follow, but he certainly helped show me the way.
Although Mike was an academic pharmacist, he had at heart the whole profession and was able to relate always to the practice of pharmacy from his more esoteric world of research and academia.
I will miss him dearly, I have lost a good friend and mentor, and my life is so much the richer for having being involved with him.
My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Rachel and his family at this sad time.
Harrison On February 27, Mr Kenneth Stanley Frederick Harrison, aged 88 years, of "Bardledon", 49 Lavington Road, Worthing, Sussex BN14 7SL. Mr Harrison registered in 1935 and retired from the register in 1969.
Mr PETER CHATFIELD writes: Kenneth Harrison registered as a pharmacist in 1935 and subsequently as an ophthalmic optician, being appointed a foundation fellow of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians in 1980.
He was born in Northfleet in 1911 and went to school in Rochester, where he both played the organ and sang in the cathedral under the direction of that great English organist and composer Percy Whitlock. A love of music stayed with him all his life.
His professional life was spent as a proprietor pharmacist and optician in Bideford and Worthing, where he was much loved and respected for his kindness and thoughtfulness towards his clients.
He had a keen interest in the weather and weather forecasting and in all things mechanical - from trains and trams to barometers and bicycles. Many a time, after a hard day at work, he could be seen on his bicycle delivering medicines to elderly patients and, even well into his 80s, he was a familiar figure cycling to the shops in Broadwater.
Having studied pharmacy with my father, Leslie Vincent Chatfield, at the old Brighton "Tech", he was a very dear friend to myself and to my family and it was with deep sadness that we learnt of his death. He had an enormous sense of fun and there are many stories of the rag day and other pranks that he used to get up to when he was a student.
He was a devoted husband and leaves a widow Vera, with whom he had recently celebrated their diamond wedding. He was also always the absolute gentlemen and it was the qualities of fun, kindness and consideration that, in the words of the ward sister, made him the perfect patient throughout his last short illness in Southlands hospital, Shoreham.
Hughes In a tribute to the late Eileen Beatrice Elizabeth Hughes (PJ, March 18, p436), Mr E. W. S. Burrows writes: It was with great sadness and sense of personal loss that I heard from Charles Smallwood of the death of Eileen Hughes.
Always ready to give any pharmacist a helping hand, she was loved by customers and respected by all the general medical practitioners with whom she came into contact in the pharmacy. One was fortunate to have her for a friend and a locum.
On one occasion, desperate to get back from the Continent with my caravan during a French strike, I rang Eileen from Switzerland pointing out that my Haywards Heath pharmacy would not be able to open on the Monday. Eileen dropped everything, drove from Croydon daily and kept business going until I was able to return and take over.
Morrison In a tribute to the late John Cuthill Morrison (PJ, March 11, p401), Mr MARTIN L. PALMER writes: Dr John Morrison (or "Jock" as he was known affectionately by his students) will be missed by all who knew him and were taught by him. He had the task of attempting to make the dry subject of pharmacy law and ethics interesting to each Portsmouth student - a tough task, but one which he managed in an informative and matter-of-fact way, ensuring that everyone on the course understood and more importantly passed the subject.
My main debt of gratitude to the man was that he started me (and possibly other pharmacy graduates) on a path to law. It was he who first informed me of a law conversion course and planted the idea in my head that adding a legal qualification to my curriculum vitae would be a unique positive point. I am sure that it was through his reference that started me upon my legal career and because of that, I was always grateful.
It is always difficult to empathise adequately with the family of someone who has passed on. All I can say is that Dr "Jock" Morrison will be remembered long and with pleasant memories by many ex-Pompey pharmacists, all of whom were grateful for his down-to-earth teaching style, his care and understanding when dealing with them as a personal tutor and for him just being "one of the good guys".
My sympathies go out to his family at this time.