(1944–2001)

I am saddened to draw to the attention of readers the death from cancer of Dorothy Mitchell Lawson (née Smith) at the early age of 57. Dorothy was technical editor of the journal from 1978 to 1981, a period of expansion in the journal's readership and its establishment as a major academic resource in medical schools throughout the UK and beyond. Dorothy brought the highest professional standards to the editing of the journal, based on her rich experience in publishing. Her own lively intelligence, informed interest in the subject matter and suggestions for new features in the journal added flair to its presentation as well as accuracy in its technical detail. She will be sorely missed by her family and friends, but part of her legacy are those early volumes of what was then a fledgling academic journal and is now, twenty years later, a standard work of reference in the field. We owe her a debt of gratitude for the part she played.