Page 80 - Eclipse - Autumn/Winter 2023

of the Worshipful Company of Farmers An accomplished artist and poet, he was
and a freeman of the City of London. a contributor to the book ‘My Constant
Endeavour’, an anthology of poetry by
We will all remember Peter for his 100% ROY ARTHUR vets and vet nurses, published in 2012.
commitment, natural flair, wisdom and Writing about himself in this book, he
kindness. No challenge too great. His LEONARD BATT said: “Research can be a long and lonely
diplomacy and negotiating skills bringing occupation and one needs some respite.
people together. Wherever he went he Soon after taking up my last post at the
made a difference – just as he set out to RVC, I found a newspaper on a train,
do as a passionate teenager.
advertising a poetry competition. This
Peter is survived by Gill, their children, was the start of reading and writing
Charlotte, Phillippa and Henry, and poetry in earnest.”
grandchildren, Harry, Lucy and Edward.
As a young man, he enjoyed running
and tennis and in 1948, he was present
at the Olympic marathon event, which
started and finished in Wembley stadium.
Roy’s later life was somewhat turbulent.
After retirement from the RVC, he
REX SCARAMUZZI enjoyed continuing to write poetry,
produce etchings, active involvement
in amateur dramatics and worked in a
In August, we received the sad news local bookshop.
that Professor Rex Scaramuzzi passed
away. Rex was Professor of Veterinary He was deeply religious and via his
Physiology in the Department of church was encouraged to assist in the
Comparative Biomedical Sciences at rehabilitation of ex-convicts by means
the RVC from 1993 until his retirement By Julian Wilson, Peter Cargill of mentorship. Unfortunately, due to his
in 2010. He was also Marie Curie immensely kind nature, delicate mental
Professor at L’Institut National de la Obituary, published in Veterinary Record, health and outstanding generosity, he
Recherche Agronomique, Nouzilly, September 2023 was defrauded of the majority of his
France between 2007 and 2010. A researcher who contributed to science, remaining wealth by one of his mentees.
the veterinary profession and the arts. This resulted in the involvement of the
Rex was an active researcher for more police and social services but with an
than 45 years, first in Australia and then Roy Batt was a graduate of Liverpool unknown outcome.
with the RVC. He was the author of over vet school. After working in clinical
220 peer reviewed papers and practice in Reading, Berkshire, for a Despite his circumstances, Roy’s
undoubtedly made a significant short while, he returned to Liverpool to sense of humour remained positive,
contribution to the veterinary and animal study human anatomy. and he held no grudges; however, it
science literature. is possibly a lesson to us all that we
His second degree included an need to do everything within our power
introduction to research method and as a profession to try to protect our
over the next 30 years he studied brown colleagues in later life when vulnerability
fat in mice, showing that an inherited is inevitable.
syndrome including obesity, sterility and Roy was a lovely brother, uncle, and
deficient bone/muscle growth was due friend to many and will be sorely missed.
to failed regulation by the hypothalamus.
His research was completed either “Roy was a quiet man who contributed
while working as a lecturer or in full-time a huge amount to the science of
research – in the psychology department mitochondria in mammals”
at Strasbourg, France, the biochemistry
department at Imperial College, London,
Harbor General Hospital, Los Angeles,
USA, and the Royal Veterinary College.
Roy was a quiet man who contributed
a huge amount to the science of
mitochondria in mammals. He was the
author of the book ‘The Mitochondrion in
Health and Disease’.

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