Anthony Birmingham

Anthony Birmingham, known to everyone as Tony, died suddenly on 6 December 2003
at his home in Nottingham.

Tony had many broad and diverse interests – cars, trains, music (especially opera and Mozart), dogs, cricket, history and restoring things, wine and cycling (not many of us have cycled from London to the Lake District and the Peak District). Tony was born in London and went to William Ellis School in Highgate before going to King’s College London as a medical student in 1949. In 1952 he obtained a BSc in Physiology before getting his MB, BS in 1955. After national service and two years as a research registrar in the chest unit at Farnborough Hospital (1959-61), Tony returned to Kings College to join the pharmacology department as a lecturer.

Tony’s first paper in the British Journal of Pharmacology was with A. B. Wilson in 1963 (preganglionic and postganglionic stimulation of the guinea pig isolated vas deferens, vol 21, 569-580). At the same time Tony was working with Professor G Brownlee, Secretary of the BPS from 1947-1952 and so probably very important in introducing Tony to the BPS, resulting in his long and important involvement in the organisation of the society. The work with Brownlee led to another long-term association of Tony’s – the medical and pharmacy student ‘double blind’ practical using atropine as the test compound. As student numbers increased at Nottingham the organisation of atropine double-blind practical became more like a military operation sadly, it’s now reduced to data processing. While at King’s College he also worked with Leslie Iversen on the uptake and metabolism of 3H-noradrenaline by the guinea pig and rat vas deferens, so making a significant contribution to a broad area of autonomic pharmacology.

In 1969 Professor David Greenfield, the Foundation Dean of the University of Nottingham Medical School was making the first appointments for the new school that would open in 1972 and he attracted Tony to join that team as a senior lecturer in physiology, becoming Reader in 1971 and the Foundation Professor of Pharmacology in 1974. Tony remained at Nottingham until his retirement in 1995 and played a major role in the development of the new integrated B.Med.Sci curriculum of the medical school that had an initial intake of 44 students in 1972 and was around 200 by 1995 (now about 250). The department, under the rotating leadership of Tony, who first became head in 1975, and Peter Fentem, became a powerful centre for teaching and research in pharmacology through wise appointments, judicious absorption of pharmacology from Pharmaceutical Sciences, and careful nurture. Tony provided a stable, reliable and friendly atmosphere within the department. He gave great attention to detail and always dealt with issues that arose in a calm and reasoned manner, and he was most supportive to the younger members of staff and the PhD students.

Tony had a long and distinguished link with the BPS. He was elected a member in 1965, joined the committee in 1978 and became Meetings Secretary in 1980. He was then General Secretary from 1983-1985 and was finally elected an Honorary Member in 1997. In parallel, he played a major role in the running of the British Journal of Pharmacology as a member of the editorial board from 1880-1985 and then Chair of the board from 1990-1996. When Tony organised the BPS meetings and ran the society there were no smart offices and staff in Islington, it was just Tony and a secretary operating from the office where this article is now being written. While the BPS was under Tony’s stewardship the members travelled far and wide to present their science. There was music in Verona, whisky tasting in Aberdeen, Smorgasbord in Stockholm and beautiful Connemara in Galway. It was also the era of the large winter meetings hosted by various London Colleges but held at The Institute of Education in Bloomsbury. By the end of Tony’s period as General Secretary the total membership of the society had reached the 2000 mark. Throughout the time of Tony’s stewardship of the society there was a feeling of calm efficiency and scientific excellence combined with a sense of fun and enjoyment. In 1990 Tony took over the Chair of the editorial board of BJP from Jimmy Mitchell and again made sure that the journal retained its position as one of the top pharmacology journals in the world.

While Tony made such a major contribution to British pharmacology, he was far more than just a scientist. He had a love of cars: his first was an Austin Seven which he built by himself, and his first publication was a description of this in the Autocar Magazine. He then began his long ‘affair’ with Rileys. He owned several, including a prized Imp and the 1938 Kestrel Sprite which he acquired in 1960 and in which he drove his daughter to her wedding. This beautifully maintained car remains a wonderful example of the care and attention to detail that Tony gave to all he did. Tony had other mechanical interests including steam engines, but he was not satisfied just to watch them - he had both Fireman’s and Engine Driver’s Certificates.

Sadly Tony died just as his wife Rosemary, a Medical Ophthalmologist, left work ready to start a busy joint retirement. There is one aspect of Tony I have not mentioned so far and that was his ability, with the help of Rosemary and their two children, to host superb parties at their large home in Nottingham and including wonderful food served as always with excellent wine – another of Tony’s areas of expertise. So let’s raise a glass to Tony in thanks for all he did for so many of us.

Charles Marsden

This is an edited version of a fuller version of an appreciation of Tony Birmingham’s contribution to British pharmacology to be published in a forthcoming issue of the British Journal of Pharmacology.