For many people, December 2 was a tragic day. That morning, Prof. Daniel Catovsky handed away in London. He was born in Buenos Aires (Argentina) and went to London in 1967, together with his spouse Julia Polak, for a brief coaching interval. They by no means returned and stayed in London for the remainder of their good profession and life. Daniel labored first on the MRC Leukaemia Unit, Royal Postgraduate Medical College, Hammersmith Hospital after which on the Royal Marsden Hospital. He was, in some ways, an enormous. He deserves to be remembered for his main contributions within the characterization of acute and continual leukemias, but additionally for his countless position within the coaching of innumerous fellows and for the kindness and availability he all the time confirmed, regardless of the various drawbacks witnessed in his troublesome life.
Workwise, he was one of many first to make the most of, already within the seventies, the laboratory instruments out there these days to refine the characterization of lymphoid malignancies: from morphology, to immunophenotype, to cytogenetics and even to electron microscopy. What number of in the present day bear in mind the sheep and mouse rosettes, and the Tμ and Tγ T-cell subsets? Daniel was, undoubtedly, a forerunner of what’s now generally known as translational analysis. These had been the occasions of the FAB (French–American–British) classification, when the FAB group met on the MRC Leukaemia Unit of the Hammersmith Hospital a number of occasions. His intense work allowed to higher characterize and classify continual lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), bushy cell leukemia (HCL), the uncommon HCL variant, B- and T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia, grownup T-cell leukemia/lymphoma, splenic lymphoma with villous lymphocytes, and to open the way in which to investigating beforehand unknown defects of the non-neoplastic host immune system in CLL and HCL. From his group additionally got here the primary description of the so-called atypical CLL. These had been all main contributions within the area of continual lymphoproliferative issues, with which everybody grew to become acquainted years later by means of the WHO classification. He additionally performed a key position within the design of modern therapeutic methods for all these situations. The refinement within the classification and administration of continual lymphoid leukemias owes him quite a bit.
Coupled to the above has been the countless variety of fellows from all around the world who skilled with him from the seventies onwards. Lots of them have then coated outstanding positions of their nations of origin. The primary motive to go to work in Daniel’s laboratory was actually the optimum use he made from the extra trendy applied sciences utilized to reply related scientific questions, but additionally his open and interactive perspective, his generosity, availability, and disposition to different individuals. That is one thing the youthful generations don’t typically encounter. Many working with him realized tips on how to analyze knowledge and tips on how to write a paper. He used to go over the draft of a paper within the night or over the weekend. And it was all the time a really thorough correction… typically resulting in fairly a unique paper! Time was by no means wasted, he was beneficiant with recommendation, suggestions, options, and concepts. Most of the previous fellows and registrars have remained over time in shut contact with Daniel, typically sustaining productive collaborations.
Two of us (RF and JVM, Figs. 1 and 2) had been fortunate sufficient to spend a number of life-changing years on the MRC Leukaemia Unit, Hammersmith Hospital between the late seventies and mid-eighties underneath Daniel’s supervision. This allowed each of us to find a brand new world of utilized scientific analysis, to study the significance of teamwork and collaborations, and to have the chance to satisfy, in particular person, virtually your entire world of hematology that handed by means of the Hammersmith Hospital, beginning with the members of the FAB consortium. The Hammersmith in these years was one of many main hospitals and its Grand Spherical on the Wednesday morning was well-known worldwide. This additionally utilized to the Hematology Division directed by Prof. Sir John V. Dacie and, later, by Prof. Lucio Luzzatto, and particularly to the MRC Leukaemia Unit headed by Prof. David A.G. Galton, the place the 2 senior workers members had been Daniel Catovsky and John M. Goldman. A bunch of absolute high gamers in leukemia, very British with one clear contact of Latin exuberance!
Daniel has succeeded in a long-lasting skilled lifetime of nice relevance and impression, with a number of recognitions, all the time sustaining a uncommon simplicity, kindness, and availability. All within the face of an undoubtedly troublesome life. In 1976 he misplaced his brother Hector, one of many many “desaparecidos”, victims of the army junta in Argentina that lasted 7 years. His eldest daughter, Marina (Mina), a barrister, died prematurely on the age of 47, after being hit by a motorbike whereas crossing London Bridge, in 2011. His spouse, Julia (Dame Julia Polak), for a few years some of the cited feminine scientists on this planet, needed to endure a heart-lung transplant in 1975 from Sir Magdi Yacoub for pulmonary hypertension. On the time of her dying, in 2014, she was the longest surviving heart-lung transplant.
Daniel leaves in very many people (Fig. 3) sturdy and fond recollections, which can stay a lot cherished – one thing that doesn’t all the time occur…
DC with KRR and lots of different colleagues/mates and earlier fellows.
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