The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7253 p842-844
14 June 2003

Society summary

Dix On 17 March, Philip Arthur Dix, of Kenwyn Nursing Home, New Mills Lane, Truro, Cornwall. Mr Dix registered in 1945 and retired from the register in 1987. (amended notice)

Fletcher On 22 January, Charles Fletcher, MRPharmS, of 28 Leigh Gardens, London NW10 5HP. Mr Fletcher registered in 1952 and retired from the register in 1998.

Young On 12 April, Arthur William Charles Albert Young, MRPharmS, of 29 Old School, Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire HP14 3RB. Mr Young registered in 1939.

Tribute

Aslam In a tribute to the late Mohamed Aslam (PJ, 17 May, p704), Professor S. S. DAVIS, Lord Trent professor of pharmacy, Nottingham University, writes:

I first met "Mo" in 1972. I was then at Aston University and was the tutor for the MSc in clinical pharmacy. This was a course sponsored by the regional hospital board. It was two-year course where the students were on full salary and were working half-time as hospital pharmacists. Mo had applied for a place and I can still recall the interview. He interviewed us. He was like a breath of fresh air. Here was someone completely different. Little did I realise that our careers would run in parallel for the next 30 years.

At that time Mo was a manager for Boots (in Doncaster I believe) and was keen to do something more challenging. The Aston MSc course had strong representation from United Kingdom and overseas pharmacists. Mo established lasting friendships with many of these students. In particular there was a strong contingent from Kuwait, which led to Mo's close involvement with the pharmacy services in that country in later years.

While in Birmingham, Mo became interested in the practice of Asian medicine in the UK and the role of traditional healers — hakims and vaids. Through his growing network of contacts he found support at the Department of Health and Social Security, which agreed to sponsor research at Aston and funded him to undertake a PhD in this area.

I acted as his "supervisor" but the reality was somewhat different. Some fascinating field work was undertaken in Bradford, London and Leicester, as well as in Pakistan and India. The research took us into the area of medical sociology and Mo was particularly adept at making contacts in the Asian community, and with medical sociologists and medical practitioners. He could get all sorts of people to work with him and for him — a rare gift. We interviewed resident traditional healers as well as those visiting from Pakistan and India. Articles were written for academic publications and the research caught the imagination of the press and television. Mo enjoyed his contacts with the media, government ministers, etc.

The research highlighted certain deficiencies in the provision of health care for ethnic minorities and we obtained funding from the Rowntree Trust to set up a unit in Bradford to undertake more detailed research. One concern was the use of imported medicines from the Indian subcontinent and China. Although many of these were harmless, some contained toxic materials, including substances such as arsenic. Cosmetics, in the form of eye products, might contain lead. (The need to quantify lead, and other materials, resulted in his long co-operation and friendship with Mike Healy in the Chemistry Department at Nottingham University.)

Mo came with me from Aston to Nottingham in 1975. He continued research and developed his network of contacts and collaborators. He worked closely with colleagues such as Bill Evans on Asian herbal materials (Mo was an invited contributor to the latest edition of Bill's pharmacognosy textbook) and with Ivan Stockley on the interaction of Asian medicines with western (allopathic) medicines. Various key articles were published that attracted considerable interest.

In the late 1970s the teaching of clinical pharmacy at Nottingham was more or less non-existent but there was strong support from the local senior hospital pharmacists (but much less so from the department). Derby and Nottingham health authorities both provided funding and two joint appointments were made available. Mo was interviewed for the Nottingham job and it was no surprise that he was successful. Through Mo and others we were able to start undergraduate and postgraduate clinical pharmacy teaching programmes.

Once again Mo's ability to make professional contacts and obtain assistance was amazing. This was especially important because we did not have funds to pay for much of the help we received. The Nottingham postgraduate diploma (later to become an MSc) was particularly successful. The recruitment of overseas students to this course was a key development and, with Mo's contacts, strong support was obtained from the World Health Organization, etc. This interaction with WHO led to Mo's close involvement with various overseas schools of pharmacy and the provision of clinical pharmacy material. He soon became an established and well recognised ambassador for UK pharmacy. This in turn led to his close links with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and his position on the Statutory Committee.

In 1984 Mo had the first problem with his heart and subsequent surgery. Being the person he was, he was keen to return to work even though he was advised by some to stop. He claimed that it was his work, his outside interests and his family that would keep him alive. This was indeed the case. He bounced back after his first bout of heart surgery and did so again after a second when the doctors in Nottingham had given up hope. Mo was a fighter. It is ironic that he should succumb to a totally unrelated problem.

Mo was a special person, a true gentleman. He always had a cheerful and optimistic disposition even when faced with difficult problems and situations. He will be greatly missed by his many friends and colleagues in this country and abroad. It was a privilege to have known him.

MOHAMMED AHMED, prescribing pharmacist, Doncaster West Primary Care trust, writes:

Dr Mohamed Aslam's death has left a deep hole in the Asian community and pharmacy which will probably take years to fill. Time is a good healer, the wounds left by his death will certainly heal but will leave scars behind a as constant reminder of Dr Aslam's efforts for pharmacy and, in particular, Asian pharmacy.

I became acquainted with him when I started my diploma in clinical pharmacy in 1996, part time. I still remember my first meeting with him. I had never seen such an enthusiastic and passionate pharmacist, whose only aim was for his students to succeed. It was he who persuaded me to convert my diploma into a masters degree.

During my MSc in clinical pharmacy, he suffered a massive heart attack and I went to see him after his bypass. His first question was "Mohammed, how is your masters coming up?" He was such a workaholic that during his sick leave he did not transfer me to another tutor but asked if it was OK for me to ring him or visit him at home for any advice. I went twice and he was there with open arms. I enjoyed learning from him. He pushed me to the edge in my masters project but it bore success in the end. My dissertation got accepted as a poster presentation at the American Society of Health-system Pharmacists midyear clinical meeting. He truly had persuasive skills. He convinced my employers that they should fund my trip to the United States.

He once said "Mohammed, never stop learning: learning is the tool for your success". When I went to see him last year, he repeatedly asked me to think about a PharmD.

His concern for Asian pharmacists was phenomenal. He would point out Statutory Committee decisions published in journals and say, "Why do these pharmacists do that?" I could see his frustration and his concerns that a handful of pharmacists could give a bad reputation to the rest.

When I heard the news of his death, I truly felt that I had lost the love and passion of a father. May Allah have mercy on him and reward him for his good deeds.

Veitch In a tribute to the late George Bryan Austin Veitch (PJ, 24 May, p734), Dr MICHAEL H. JEPSON, visiting fellow and former senior lecturer and head of pharmacy practice, school of pharmacy, Aston University, writes:

The tragic illness and death of Dr Bryan Veitch has come as a great shock to his family, many friends and former colleagues. Our heartfelt sympathy goes to his wife Annette, their children Angus and Catriona, Bryan's mother Evelyn, grandson George and other members of his family.

In characteristic style, Bryan had continued to be actively involved in pharmacy following his retirement from the Welsh Office, notably with the Welsh School of Pharmacy and the College of Pharmacy Practice.

I have many nostalgic memories of our long association as friends and colleagues in the department of pharmacy at the emergent Aston University in the early 1960s, where we shared a room and spent many evenings marking the piles of laboratory books that resulted from the extensive practical class programme of that period.

We co-operated in organising a wide-ranging programme of industrial visits to pharmaceutical companies and pharmacy-related locations for all students in each year of their undergraduate course. This was quite an undertaking, since an overnight stay was involved to enable two visits to be made on consecutive days. The most ambitious additional visits in 1966 and again in 1969 were to pharmaceutical companies, schools of pharmacy and hospital and community pharmacies in Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands. Thirty students chose to spend 10 days of their Easter vacation on these memorable visits, which were both informative and great fun. Bryan's enthusiasm and willingness to help with the arrangements reflected his caring commitment and interest in furthering opportunities for students to develop and progress.

We even organised the occasional weekend expedition to the Derbyshire Peak District to help some of the early influx of overseas students, especially from Africa, to get to know and feel at home with some of their contemporaries. As a result we all learnt much about the value of understanding each other's background. Later, we took turns to invite all our personal tutees to one of our homes — with the wholehearted support of our wives.

Could it be that all this pharmacy travel inspired Bryan to help organise steam train expeditions to several continents?

There must be many, including former Aston students, who will long remember and be grateful for Bryan's personal interest and support during their time, whether as undergraduates, as full-time or part-time postgraduates or as colleagues in employment.

During most of Bryan's daunting illness, as a consequence of traditional Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, he remained conscious of the loving care with which Annette and the family coped and supported him. Bryan was my daughter Rachel's godfather, and we shall never forget his remarkable calmness and pacific manner during his devastating decline, which reflected his long-standing Christian faith and commitment.

KAY ROBERTS writes:

It was with great sadness that I learnt within the last few weeks of the serious illness and then the untimely death of Bryan Veitch. Bryan and I shared a common background of being brought up in the north-east of England and studying pharmacy at the then Sunderland Polytechnic in the days of Fred Oliver. For almost 20 years Bryan had been a friend, mentor, colleague and, for six years between 1990 and 1995, boss.

Bryan had the wonderful gift of persuading one to look beyond the here and now and to take on unexpected challenges. He was adept at encouraging fellow pharmacists to join him in new and exciting ventures. In particular, he drove forward the profession and practice of pharmacy within Wales during his tenure as chief pharmaceutical adviser to the Welsh Office. It was an inspiration to work with him during the early to mid-1990s. The current high standing of both community and hospital pharmacy within the principality is a fitting testament to Bryan's unstinting endeavours on behalf of the profession.

Bryan was a wonderful man who will be greatly missed by all his friends and colleagues. My deepest sympathy is extended to his wife Annette, children Angus and Catriona and grandson George.

COLIN W. CHALLINOR writes:

Bryan gained his PhC by examination in 1959 and undertook a preregistration year at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle upon Tyne. With the qualifications of PhC and MPS he applied to Aston in 1960 for a position in pharmacognosy, even though after earlier working in mining laboratories he had set his heart on further study in chemistry. Clearly the college appointment committee recognised academic and advisory potential, which in the intervening years developed to an outstanding level. Others are more qualified than I to write of his considerable qualities and achievements in professional life. However, as impressive and valuable as his professional qualifications and contribution were, they were secondary to the worth he constantly showed in human relationships and the care of people. Undoubtedly these qualities so appreciated by his many friends were an expression of his deep Christian faith.

He was born into a loving and close-knit family and his formative years were spent in the mining community of County Durham. In his teenage years he had a strong attachment to the local Methodist chapel and in later years he became an accredited Local Preacher in the Methodist Church. After a number of years as assistant Warden of Gracie Hall of Aston, he left when he married Annette (née Lee, Nottingham pharmacy department) in December 1967. Annette was a constant support and encouragement to him as his career developed and took him away from home. She maintained a family base for their children, Angus and Catriona, to give them the stability they needed. Her care, love and devotion for him were so clearly seen as she nursed him through life-threatening pancreatitis, some five years ago, and in the months of his final illness.

The words that can be used to define his approach to his professional life were clearly seen in all he did — wholeheartedness, passion, determination, sound common sense and consideration for others. Bryan had an enormous capacity for friendship and this has been clearly demonstrated in the many letters and cards the family received during his final illness and after his subsequent death.

In the Who's Who of Scientists, Bryan's avocations are listed as classical and choral music, photography, steam railway and mountain walking. He was delighted when his son Angus gained a place as a chorister at Lichfield Cathedral. Even when his career took him first to Oxford and then to Cardiff, the family home in Lichfield was maintained. This allowed Bryan to develop his involvement with the cathedral, which became his spiritual home. His involvement with the special choir of the cathedral brought him many hours of pleasure even though often it meant a round trip from Cardiff for Thursday night choir practice. When semi-retirement beckoned he was overjoyed to buy a house overlooking the three spires of the cathedral he loved. I fancy the purchase of the house brought a sense of relief to Annette, for Bryan had often expressed a dream of purchasing an old railway house alongside some disused railway line in the middle of nowhere. It had to be a house large enough to accommodate his railway memorabilia and heraldic plaques. Visiting his home today one is able to sit on a platform seat from Brandepeth or from Hackney Downs complete with railway lights and gradient signs. In 2000, Bryan published his book "Railway inn signs, book 1, Derbyshire". In the foreword the volume is said to be the first in a series. Unhappily Bryan was not spared to further the series.

Last autumn Catriona and Andrew presented Bryan with his first grandchild and he was so looking forward to the prospect of seeing him grow up. Sadly this was not to be. In thinking of Bryan the "If" of Kipling comes to mind. Regardless of his many achievements he never forgot his roots. He was real and genuine and our lives were enriched by knowing him and immeasurably impoverished by his passing. He was a special person and will be sadly missed.

Professor DAVID LUSCOMBE, head of the Welsh School of Pharmacy, writes, on behalf of all the staff:

Countless friends and associates in Cardiff were saddened to hear of Bryan Veitch's untimely death. Following his appointment as chief pharmaceutical adviser to the Welsh Office in 1987, Bryan immediately established a strong relationship with the Welsh School of Pharmacy. This resulted in a number of initiatives which changed pharmacy practice in the principality for the better. Importantly, he was instrumental in providing the resources to underpin the School's postgraduate diploma in clinical pharmacy which was established in the late 1980s. This had a profound impact on the development of clinical pharmacy, especially in the hospital sector, reversing the previously poor recruitment and retention of young hospital pharmacists and dramatically raising the quality of clinical pharmacy services in Wales.

Bryan was also a staunch believer in postgraduate continuing education and played a major part in the development of the Welsh Centre for Postgraduate Pharmaceutical Education which is housed in the school although funded by the Welsh Office (now the Welsh Assembly Government). His enthusiasm and flair for channelling Welsh Office monies into the centre were invaluable. Furthermore, his love of research provided another platform from which the school benefited from his input. Indeed, in recognition of this and his overall contribution to the practice of pharmacy in Wales, Bryan was appointed a visiting professorial fellow in 1990, a post he continued to hold until his death.

Bryan was an excellent ambassador for the school and his overall contribution to the profession of pharmacy in Wales was outstanding. He will be remembered with great respect by colleagues as a visionary who possessed the strength and wisdom to make things happen. Pharmacy has lost one of its most influential practitioners of the 1980s and 1990s. He will be sadly missed.