Obituary: Professor Sir John Gray FRS
13 March 1918 – 4 January 2011
Sir John Gray FRS, Secretary of the Medical Research Council (MRC) 1968-77, died on 4 January 2011, aged 92.
John Archibald Browne Gray was born in March 1918, the son of the eminent dermatologist Sir Archibald Gray. After qualifying in Medicine at Clare College, Cambridge and University College London Hospital, he went to the MRC’s physiological research laboratory in 1943 to carry out research into the conditions faced by sailors in battle conditions. He then worked for a time at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) before becoming a surgeon-lieutenant in the Royal Navy with the British Pacific Fleet.
His wartime research focused on the physical toll naval warfare took on those working inside tanks and naval gun turrets. By exploring the physiological effects of toxic gases and through his work into the energy demands of gun turret crews, he was able to inform a radical redesign of equipment which served to improve the physical conditions for the men.
Between 1946 and 1952 Sir John pursued his interest into neurophysiology at the NIMR before becoming Professor of Physiology at University College London. Sir John also worked with Sir Harold Himsworth (MRC Secretary 1949-1968) as Second Secretary for two years before succeeding him as Secretary.
The 1970s brought with it unprecedented public scrutiny into science and the independence of the research councils, in particular following the publication of the Rothschild Report in 1971, and he met this challenge with energy and determination. He also became the first chair of a new committee on medical research in 1972, designed to promote international collaborations in research at a European level.
Throughout his term as Secretary, Sir John was committed to reconciling Council policies and decisions with the need to preserve the vitality of science and the pursuit of original ideas by individual scientists; something he knew to be the foundation of the MRC’s ongoing success. His vision for medical research remains evident in the structure of MRC’s four main research boards which are still active today. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1972, and was knighted in 1973.
At the end of his nine years as Secretary, he worked as an MRC-grant holder at the Marine Biological Association Laboratories, becoming one of the foremost physiologists to have worked in the field of marine biology. He made several seminal discoveries into sensory nervous systems of fish, ground-breaking physiological research which provided unique insights into the mechanisms underlying fish behaviour; crucial for developing a sustainable fishing industry. He continued to work at the Plymouth laboratory until he was 80. Sir John was known as someone who was always willing to listen and give advice and encouragement to young scientists.
Throughout his life Sir John was a keen sportsman. While at Cambridge he was a successful climber and mountaineer, but his lifelong passion was sailing. He started as a dinghy sailor, later buying a succession of yachts in which he cruised with the family on the coasts of South West England and Brittany. Vera, his wife of 64 years, died in 2010. He is survived by his son, Peter and his daughter, Clare.
