Professor Dodds

Correspondence between Wilkinson and Professor E.C. Dodds of the Courtauld Institute of Biochemistry at the Middlesex Hospital. Dodds writes in the first instance seeking Wilkinson's assistance with the new edition of his book, Recent Advances in Medicine, in particular the section on pernicious anaemia which has been heavily criticised. They also discuss supplies and testing of Stern's hepatoflavin, analysis of fractions of liver and stomach extract, visit of Wilkinson's colleagues to Dodds' department, Dodds' lecture to the Manchester Medical Society, urine from patients with pernicious anaemia, the grading of E.M. Greaves' MD thesis, report on M.C.G. Israëls' thesis by L.J. Witts, clarification of samples, and water extract of hog's stomach.

Sir Edward Charles Dodds (1899-1973) was born on 13 October 1899 in Liverpool and studied medicine at the Middlesex Hospital, London graduating in 1921 and gaining his MD in 1926. He began his career at the Bland-Sutton Institute of Pathology attached to the Middlesex Hospital where he became a lecturer in biochemistry and later Professor. In 1928 he became Director of the newly created Courtald Institute of Biochemistry, a role along with his professorship, he retained until his retirement.

His contributions to medicine as a physician and biochemist were significant and numerous and included work on the physiology of internal secretions, respiratory physiology, and the use of test-meals in the diagnosis of gastric cancer. He is seen to be a pioneer in the discovery of more efficient methods of determining blood-sugar content and also made a major discovery of the synthetic artificial oestrogens. Throughout his career he pursued an interest in cancer and its causation. He died in London on 16 December 1973.