Sir John Vivian Dacie. 20 July 1912 — 12 February 2005

John Dacie was the leading figure in haematology in this country during its period of major expansion after World War II. By his meticulous approach to the study of patients in haematological disorders in the laboratory he was able accurately to define many new diseases, particularly haemolytic anaemias, so laying a firm foundation for their further definition by the tools of the protein chemistry and molecular biology eras. And by establishing the haematology laboratory at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School as an international centre of excellence, where many future leaders of the field were trained, he had a critical role in the development of the clinical and laboratory aspects of haematology, both in the UK and internationally.