Dr Brian Robinson obituary
May 1936 鈥� February 2023
Brian Robinson, who has died aged 86, was a medicinal chemist who dedicated his career to the understanding of synthetic pathways involved in natural product chemistry and the biosynthetic origins of plant constituents used for medicinal purposes.
Brian was born in Hathersage, Derbyshire in May 1936, the first child of Matthew, a motorcycle mechanic, and Violet Robinson, a housewife. He received his formal undergraduate and postgraduate education between 1954 and 1960 in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Manchester, during which he obtained the degrees of BSc, MSc and PhD.
He subsequently held research fellowships at the Universities of St Andrews and Nottingham, and in 1964 obtained a lectureship in pharmacy at the University of Manchester, where he would spend the rest of his career. In 1970 he was appointed senior lecturer and ten years later was promoted to Reader in Pharmacy. In 1984 he received a DSc from the university in recognition of his research into the chemistry of indoles and indole alkaloids.
During periods spent on leave-of-absence between 1963 and 1986, he held visiting professorships at the University of Illinois, Chicago, USA, and at the University of Sassari, Sardinia, Italy.
An active researcher, Brian supervised and mentored many Master’s and PhD students in his lab over the years, and will be remembered by thousands of Pharmacy students as the imposing 6’3”, smartly-dressed, warm-hearted character who introduced them to the wonders of organic chemistry. Those who majored in medicinal chemistry in their final year were treated to a masterclass in heterocyclic chemistry, and knew that an exam essential would be understanding the pivotal [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement in the Fischer indole synthesis!
In addition to his role as Reader, Brian served on the University’s Senate and was also a long-term Warden of Moberly tower, a multi-story student accommodation block on the campus, now demolished. He was closely involved in the social life of the Pharmacy department at Manchester, organising the annual Three Peaks walk, and demonstrating his not inconsiderable skills as a raconteur and risqué joke teller in his “Dave Allen spot” at the annual staff/student review.
Brian was a prolific author in the scientific arena. In addition to well over 100 contributions to the literature, he also has several patents to his name, and published a number of books, in particular his seminal treatise The Fischer Indole Synthesis (1983). He also published The History of Pharmaceutical Education in Manchester (1986). Outside of work, Brian possessed a deep interest in a variety of historical topics of both local and national importance. He was a significant authority on the Royal Maundy, publishing two books on its history: The Royal Maundy (1977) and Silver Pennies & Linen Towels (1992). He also amassed a collection of Maundy coinage second only to that in the British museum.
Other books that reveal the breadth of his interests include Birchinlee: The Workmen's Village of the Derwent Valley Water Board (1983); Walls Across the Valley: Building of the Howden and Derwent Dams (1993); Seven Blunders of the Peak: Some Derbyshire Legends Reassessed (Editor) (1994); and Howden and Derwent: The Building of the Upper Dams of the Derwent Valley Water Board (2004). His particular interest in Birchinlee, a village that was flooded to create the Derwent reservoir, was that his mother was born there.
On his retirement Brian moved to Eyam with his golden retriever, close to Kinder Scout, his favourite place to reflect on life whilst looking out on his beloved Derbyshire. He also re-found his religious beliefs, following an earlier brush with death due to a cavernous malformation. He continued writing after he retired - as he often said “without the use of email or internet” - and indeed had just recently had a comprehensive textbook on the chemistry of the Calabar bean accepted for publication, which – like all of Brian’s books - was a characteristic blend of meticulous research and historical context, leavened with wry observations.
Brian will be buried in St Michael and All Angels Church at Hathersage where both parents are buried and where plaques commemorate the passing of his brother and sister-in-law Roger and Barbara Robinson.
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