Obituary – John A Dormandy (5.3.1937–26.4.2019)

Abstract

Professor John Dormandy has died at the age of 82, just months after his wife Klara passed away. He was born in Budapest, and came to England in 1948. He was educated in Geneva, Paris, London, and New York. He started in a position as Lecturer in Applied Physiology, became Senior Lecturer in Surgery, and later Professor of Vascular Surgery, mainly working at St George's Hospital, where he started a research unit, supervising Higher Degree trainees; he was a thoughtful and encouraging mentor. He was known by his patients and his staff to be a skilled surgeon, humble, sensible, and also pragmatic. John's own scientific career was mainly clinically focused and started with work on haemorheology and peripheral arterial disease. Together with co-authors, he published Clinical Hemorheology, which became a standard work in this area. A great interest in improving treatment for critical limb ischaemia made John initiate and lead the very first European multidisciplinary meetings, resulting in a European document on the management of this important problem. This was also the impetus to create TASC (Trans-Atlantic Consensus for the management of peripheral arterial disease) guidelines, in which John and Robert B. Rutherford led a large group of representatives from European and American vascular societies to develop uniform guidelines, published in 2000. Under John's guidance and nudging this first TASC document achieved a remarkable consensus across all vascular societies in Europe and North America on the diagnosis and management of peripheral artery disease. It also offered us the opportunity to initiate lifelong professional and personal collaborations that enriched not only our careers and profession, but also personal lives. John initiated and led numerous multicentre studies on the treatment of critical limb ischaemia, including prostacyclin trials, the very first attempt to use a fibroblast growth factor for therapeutic angiogenesis, when revascularisation was not possible, and on secondary prevention of vascular events in diabetic patients. John was also closely engaged in steering and safety committees in other large multicentre trials John was a polymath, with broad cultural interests. He not only produced original research published in the medical literature, but also books of historical interest, such as A History of Savoy, showing his great interest in the Alps, not only for historical events, but also for one of his great hobbies, skiing. John liked speed, downhill or on his scooter! During meetings in Rome and other places with heavy traffic, we would find John cruising quickly between cars, reaching the destination long before the rest of us! As a person, John was unique, he was knowledgeable in numerous areas, but he never discussed this, one had to ask. He was low key, but diplomatic and a problem solver. He was remarkably humorous, far from arrogant, but able to criticise in an extremely elegant way. Most of all, John was a friend, one to rely on, to discuss difficult issues with, to be serious with, and to have fun with. Dinners with John were great events, good talks, good wines, and the cigar at the end of the meal was not considered a risk factor! In fact, he was indeed familiar with all the cardiovascular risk factors but enjoyed all of them! The last time I (W.R.H.) saw John was in London on 14 April 2019. We shared a glass of bubbly, which he loved very much, connected at many levels, including a discussion on the topics for his next book, then he announced he had to leave. I walked him to his scooter and off he went without fanfare not to be seen again. We miss John very much.