Eulogy - for David Horrobin - Obituary - Biography

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, July, 2003 by David Horrobin

In April 2003 the scientific community lost one of our greatest treasures, Dr. David Horrobin. Born in England on October 6,1939 he was a scholar of Oxford where he obtained a First Class Honours medical degree. To this he added a clinical medical degree and a doctorate in neuroscience. David was a fellow of Magdalen College where he taught medicine to students alongside the father of the field of essential fatty acids, Dr. Hugh Sinclair.

David began his odyssey into the research of essential fatty acids in 1972 at the University of Newcastle Medical school and continued his work on essential fatty acids (EFAs) and prostaglandins at the University of Montreal. He became increasingly fascinated in the development of novel therapeutic agents based on lipid biochemistry and its application to human disease. David set up a small pharmaceutical company, Efamol, in 1979 which several years later became a public company, Scotia Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Over the course of 18 years, Dr. Horrobin's innovative approach to research led to the discovery of many lipid products for the treatment of disease.

In 1997 he set up a new company, Laxdale Ltd. for the exclusive development of novel lipid pharmaceuticals for psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar depression and Huntingtons Disease. Laxdale's work, will continue and is dedicated to providing a lasting tribute to his memory.

David's principal lipid focus was originally on the physiological function of omega 6 EFAs. His research on the medical benefits of gamma linolenic acid opened a doorway into the profound influence of lipids towards health, sparking a minor revolution of lipid studies and research around the world.

I first met Dr. Horrobin in 1979 whereby my fascination with lipid therapy and its impact upon the brain was further ignited. Working at first with Dr. Canton Fredericks and Dr. Carl Pfeiffer, and much later with Dr. John Foster and Dr. Annette Cartaxo, we began to integrate the clinical use of lipid therapy for our patients with neuropsychiatric, neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. Today, EFA research in the US has evolved to gold standard analysis of EFAs at Johns Hopkins Kennedy Krieger Institute and university studies with NIH grants. David's work inspired and continues to nurture positive clinical outcomes in our patients with MS, Autism, ALS, Parkinson's, PDD, Bipolar, CFIDS, epilepsy, OCD, Schizophrenia and Depression by respecting the critical balance of targeted EFA application.

David was the founder and editor of two journals -- Medical Hypothesis and Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids. David was a prolific writer who wrote and edited numerous books and over 800 scientific publications. One of his main interests was schizophrenia and he was medical advisor for the International Society for Orthomolecular Medicine and President of the Schizophrenia Association of Great Britain.

David inspired a multitude of people whose lives he touched. He had a unique combination of enthusiasm and tenacity; humility and friendliness with remarkable creativity; a huge depth of knowledge and striking analytical power. David was an outstanding communicator in speech as well as in the written word. He will be greatly missed. Dr. Horrobin's legacy will continue as our research continues to unfold on the application of balanced lipid therapy and its impact upon the cell membrane, the brain and the body human.

Patricia Kane, PhD

Millville, New Jersey USA