Other lives: Biochemist whose research contributed greatly to the understanding of various thyroid conditions
My colleague and friend John Midgley, who has died aged 88, was a scientist, biochemist and researcher best known for the invention and development of thyroid hormone blood tests in the 1980s. A pioneer in medical biochemistry, his work in the field of thyroid hormone detection hugely improved patient care. John was also a passionate advocate for patients – as a medical adviser to the charity Thyroid UK, commentator and writer. Born in the village of Burley in West Yorkshire, he was the only child of Edna (nee Clarke) and Maurice, an optometrist and chemist. He was educated at Ilkley grammar school and studied biochemistry at Leeds University, graduating in 1958. He then gained a doctorate in physical chemistry at Exeter College, Oxford, where his supervisor was Sir Cyril Hinshelwood, a Nobel laureate,…