Tributes 



of one of his own pregnant ewes, and likewise by the red blood cor- 

 puscle of a ram, which was markedly faster. I explained to him how 

 from these data, by a combination of mathematics and physical 

 chemistry it is possible to calculate the permeability of the red cell 

 membrane to carbon monoxide and, from similar experiments, to 

 oxygen which is, of course, the most important substance which passes 

 in and out of the red cell during life. At the end of the explanation he 

 gave a chuckle, and said : ' You know, this reminds me of an electric 

 alarm clock which Hartridge invented many years ago, when he was 

 a young man, which not only woke him up, but pulled him out of bed, 

 made his tea and did all sorts of other things. One evening Hartridge 

 came into dinner at King's, sat down next Milner- White, the theological 

 Dean of the College, and proceeded to explain to him how this clock 

 worked. Milner-White listened with a polite expression on his face, 

 but how much he understood of it I do not know. I think, however, 

 that I have understood at least as much of what you have just told me, 

 as Milner-White did of Hartridge's electric clock.' He then proceeded 

 to make some of his usual shrewd points, and finally concluded : 

 4 Well, I'll take care of that particular ewe and when she is non- 

 pregnant, we will see whether her blood gives the same curve as the ram, 

 which I suppose we may assume — with a fair measure of confidence — 

 not to have been pregnant.' Perhaps this was the very last scientific 

 matter to occupy his attention. 



By this time it was nearly noon, and he brought our time together 

 to an end with some trivial, non-scientific matter as he often did on 

 such occasions. ' When did you get that suit you're wearing ? ' 

 4 Before the war.' 4 Have you got many pre-war suits left ? ' ' Yes, 

 several.' ' Lucky man ! I wish I'd bought more suits before the war. 

 Those I buy now cost three times as much and only last about one- 

 third as long. Well, let's hear more news later.' With that he backed 

 towards the door with his characteristic gait, and a broad smile on his 

 face. A moment later he was gone — gone for good — gone for good 

 indeed ! 



When we got back from lunch we were told what had happened. It 

 was, of course, a grievous shock though I still feel sure that no end 

 could have been happier for him than to die suddenly right in the 

 midst of his unceasing activity. Later that day a colleague said to me : 

 4 1 envy that man, Joseph Barcroft, going on doing first-class work 

 right up to the last moment of his long life.' For him, as for his older 

 friend, Starling, physiology was the greatest sport in the world. 



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