David Pyke (1921-2001)

Abstract

David Pyke was born in 1921, the year of the discovery of insulin. He became one of the world leaders in diabetes clinical research. He was consultant physician at King's College Hospital (1959–86) and head of the Diabetic Department (1971–86). His huge study of identical twins (concordant or discordant for diabetes) was known across the globe, and provided many new insights into the cause of diabetes and its complications. He also enhanced the care of diabetic women during their pregnancies, leading to a substantial improvement in foetal survival, and he was the first to attempt immunosuppression to try and abort the onset of Type 1 diabetes, subsequently demonstrated by others, although not yet established as a safe or effective treatment. He published two books on diabetes and edited two others, became chairman of the Medical and Scientific Section of the British Diabetic Association, and presented its most prestigious Banting Memorial Lecture (1985) and the equally important Claude Bernard Lecture of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (1979). David Pyke was a most enthusiastic teacher. His registrars gained great insights from his marvellous skills in writing and speaking: indeed, his rigorous preparation before all scientific meetings was legendary, albeit painful at the time. But there was much more. In 1975, David Pyke was appointed registrar of the Royal College of Physicians (the 40th registrar since 1579) and during the next 17 years greatly influenced its place in medicine in this country. He strongly believed that the College should have an important role in bringing together basic science and clinical medicine. He recorded his views of the medical scene during those years with wit and style in the College Commentary, and the edited version (Pyke's Notes, published by RCP) survives as his monument. He never really retired. In his later years he met and undertook some research with Professor Wilhelm Feldberg who had worked on nerve transmission many years previously with Sir Henry Dale. It was Feldberg's life story, his expulsion from Berlin by Hitler in the 1930s, which led David Pyke (jointly with Jean Medawar) to write his last book, Hitler's Gift, in which he described the extraordinary events surrounding the lives of Jewish scientists who had to leave Nazi Germany. This was published only a few weeks before his death and has already left a profound impression. David Pyke's enthusiasm, energy and good humoured wit have sustained countless friends, colleagues and patients over more than half a century. He never ceased to see the light side of events (see Pyke's Notes) and until his last days retained the ability to laugh heartily (at himself, too). He will be greatly missed by all those who have known and admired him, and valued the intensity of his friendship and his tremendous loyalty.