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JOHN DUFFY, M.D., F.R.C.P.I., D.P.H., T.D.D. ~EGIONAL CHEST HOSPITAL, BLAN'CHARDSTOWI~,DUNLIN. On S e p t e m b e r 2nd, a few brief w e e k s a f t e r his s i x t i e t h b i r t h d a y , I r e l a n d lost one of her finest w a r r i o r s in t h e u n s u n g fight a g a i n s t t u b e r c u l o s i s . W h e n during his last swift illness, Dr. J o h n Duffy declared h o w poor a soldier he w a s we recognised t h e characteristic h u m i l i t y w h i c h p e r m e a t e d his every t h o u g h t , w o r d a n d deed t h r o u g h o u t his life in p r i v a t e a n d public. A n d while we suspected t h a t he w a s t o r n b y the g r a t i n g t o r t u r e of a disease w h i c h still evades m a n ' s m a s t e r y , none even h e a r d h i m to complain of pain, a l t h o u g h it w a s evident t h a t his knowledge of t h e milder analgesics t r a n s c e n d e d t h a t of the academic pharmacologist. F r o m his early p o s t g r a d u a t e years he s p e n t a dedicated life in the antituberculosis c a m p a i g n a n d y e t , a f t e r carrying an i m m e n s e load w i t h D o r o t h y Price a n d Thee Dillon, w h e n the d a w n came he w a s p r e p a r e d for t h e fresh woods a n d p a s t u r e s new. T h o u g h in his later years his t i m e w a s s p e n t in t h e application of the n e w e r a d v a n c e s in t h e r a p y never did he w a v e r in his belief t h a t cure w a s no more t h a n the .fidus Achates, t h e c o m r a d e b u t n e v e r the rival, of prevention. N o t only h a d he h a d first-hand experience o f A m e r i c a n and British s a n a t o r i u m practice, h u t as p a t i e n t and physician he w a s conversant w i t h Swiss a n d Scandinavian medicine a n d we w h o h a d the h o n o u r to serve as his s u b o r d i n a t e s reaped t h e u n s t i n t e d h a r v e s t . H e m a d e n o t his head a grave, b u t a t r e a s u r e of knowledge, a n d in spite o f the pleasure he derived f r o m precept b y practice he did n o t neglect to value t h e w r i t t e n w o r d , as his o w n and his hospital library testify. N o r w a s he provincial in his reading. Well he knew t h a t s t u d i e s serve for delight a n d o r n a m e n t as well as ability : for relaxation he m i g h t t r a n s l a t e one of H o r a c e ' s odes or prove once again the binomial t h e o r e m ; a p h r a s e from Aequanimitas or Hydriotaphia, or a n i m m o r t a l line from Shakespeare or Virgil m i g h t embellish, w i t h o u t affectation, his discourse. Osler's rhetoric on t h e t h e m e t h a t in medicine w o r k alone is the t a l i s m a n , surely a p a r a p h r a s e on the m o t t o of his A l m a Mater w a s a joy forever t o h i m which he w i s h e d in p a r t i c u l a r to share w i t h us. Ostensibly Dr. Duffy t a u g h t diseases of the chest, the concepts of which are n o t i m m u t a b l e , b u t the endless d e b t we owe to h i m is for t h e s u b t l e influences which give stability to c h a r a c t e r and s a n i t y in outlook, those compagnons de voyage, the life-long friends which ensure t h a t we are n o t s a t i a t e d b y a mediocrity of success. H i s p a t i e n t s , colleagues a n d acquaintance have lost a genuine friend ; the loss to his relatives, his widow, sister, a n d niece especially, c m m o t be m e a s u r e d v e r b a l l y - - w o r d s , w i n s o m e as t h e y m i g h t be, were b u t a golden chalice to the b i t t e r gall of his passing. Requiescat in pace. C. S. BaEATI-INACI4. J o h u Duff')" w a s one o f life's g e n t l e m e n w h o s e l a b o u r s m i g h t h a v e left us so m u c h richer a n d affected a wider field h a d not severe p h y s i c a l h a n d i c a p s m a d e existence itself a s t r u g g l e of u n u s u a l difficulty. And yet in his sphere he c o n t r i b u t e d n o t a little in his pioneer efforts a g a i n s t t u b e r c u l o s i s w h e n only a v e r y few h a d y e t a w a k e n e d to t h e p r o b l e m of its control a n d t r e a t m e n t . H i s earlier y e a r s in Rockwell College, of which he w a s a d i s t i n g u i s h e d pupil, a n d s u b s e q u e n t y e a r s a s a n m l d e r g r a d u a t e of" the N a t i o n a l U n i v e r s i t y , gave p r o m i s e of exceptional ability, a n d of a scholarship too wide to be k e p t w i t h i n the confines of his o w n i m m e d i a t e profession. H i s desire for p r o g r e s s carried h i m to Switzerland, E n g l a u d a n d America, to t h e leading c e n t r e s o f h i s day. This urge fbr p r o g r e s s c h a r a c t e r i s e d h i m t h r o u g h o u t his career, a n d t h o u g h his g r e a t e s t efforts did n o t a l w a y s get t h e r e s u l t s he deserved, he did no~ a b a n d o n t h e m in the m a n n e r of lesser m e n . H~ never ceased to t r y to c o n v e y t h i s spirit of a d v a n c e m e n t to the m a n y p u p i l s w h o were privileged to serve u n d e r h i m a n d it w a s his c o n s t a n t urge to got his y o u n g e r colleagues to r e a d diligently, to investigate a n d to p u b l i s h in t h e interests of p r o g r e s s as well as to seek academic distinction. As a colleague of m a n y y e a r s , I , w i t h m a n y o t h e r s , will feel ever indebted to h i m for his kindly generalship, for the inspiration which he d i s s e m i n a t e d w i t h so little o s t e n t a t i o n , and for his urge to concern o n e s e l f w i t h higher i n t e r e s t s w h i c h s e e m e d to e n d o w h i m w i t h a unique insight into w h a t is t r u l y w o r t h y in t h e world a r o u n d him. Go ndeanfaidh Dia troc~tb'e ar a a a a m . L . B . GODFREY.