Symposium on Peripheral Nerve and Neuropathies: a festschrift to celebrate the contribution of P. K. Thomas as Editor of the Journal of Anatomy, 1990–2001

Professor Peter K. Thomas —‘PK’ to all who know him — has been a central figure in the biology, plasticity and pathology of peripheral nerves for more than 30 years. It is somehow symmetrical that the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine that PK headed so influentially for many years should have recently merged with University College London, as this was where PK completed his intercalated BSc studies under J. Z. Young. His first paper was published in the Journal of Anatomy in 1949. His research project there, as he once described it to me, changed his life and set him on the road to becoming that most unusual combination of internationally respected laboratory researcher and clinician. I can only speak of his influence over all that have known him in the field of neuroscience research; others, I am sure, will expand on his enormous clinical expertise. In his research, PK first published with J. Z. Young in 1949 a paper on the structure of the lateral line nerve of the trout. In view of his well-known enjoyment of good food, particularly fish, his first choice of research subject did not surprise me. However, he soon altered course, perhaps as he became more involved clinically, towards the human peripheral nerve. And, apart from a few changes of direction in search of appropriate animal models, this is where his main interest remained. Early on he was particularly interested in electrophysiology and in correlating electrophysiological changes with morphology. This led him into learning electron microscopy with J. David Robertson in the Anatomy Department at University College London. He was always a very practical researcher and did not delegate technical work unless he had to — there was an ultramicrotome in his office at Maida Vale Hospital where he cut his own sections. His initial researches were into the connective tissue sheaths that envelop the peripheral nerve and its components and which have many unique features. His papers on the sheaths of Plenk & Laidlaw and Key & Retzius are unique EM studies on the organization of the collagen fibrils in the endoneurium. It was during this time that PK became interested in the diseases of the peripheral nerve and his work here focused on two main areas: the heritable demyelinating diseases and diabetic neuropathy; it is probably for his work in these two areas that he is best known. However, his increasing fame generated a constant stream of patients with rare and interesting disorders, which often led to fruitful research projects. Peter Dyck was following much the same path in the States. Walter Bradley once remarked that the two of them must have had the same scriptwriter. The interest in demyelinating diseases started with electrophysiological studies on experimental allergic neuritis in the early 1960s jointly with Brian Cragg who later moved to Australia. Since then PK and his co-workers, in particular Dr Rosalind King, have worked extensively to characterize a wide range of demyelinating diseases of the PNS. This has involved travelling (one of his greatest enthusiasms) from one obscure corner of the globe to the other, often by bike or on skis, to discover another family of sufferers from these disabling disorders. Climbing in the Andes or an excursion to Cuba were exciting accompaniments to PK's investigations of geographically isolated neurological conditions. With colleagues, including Luba Kalaydjieva from Bulgaria, he has developed animal models with which to investigate the genetic mechanisms involved. Recent work has characterized the motor and sensory neuropathies associated with autosomal recessive mutations found in Gypsy families across several European countries. Of particular interest is the reason for the axonal loss in demyelinating diseases that is particularly marked in one of the Gypsy neuropathies, HMSN Lom, Lom being a town on the Danube in Bulgaria. PK's work on the neuropathies associated with diabetes has been at the forefront of research into this condition with its fast-increasing clinical importance. In addition to analysing the morphological features and sensory symptoms of diabetic neuropathy, PK and his collaborators have investigated the mechanisms responsible for reduced conduction velocity and other features of the pathology. Experimental studies on rat models have attempted to identify the biochemical basis of the neuropathy. Both in the animal models and the human disease, PK has been particularly concerned to understand why the profuse nerve regeneration that often accompanies the early stages of diabetic sensory polyneuropathy fails to lead to functional recovery. Over the last two decades, PK has devoted considerable energy to publishing, first as editor of ‘Brain’ during the 1980s and more recently, from 1990 to 2001, as Editor of the Journal of Anatomy. I was privileged to work with him for the last few years on the Journal of Anatomy, first as Associate Editor and then as Co-Editor. He devoted enormous attention to detail. Stories abound of his ability to edit papers under unusual conditions — during meetings when one of the contributions did not interest him greatly and even, occasionally, during meals, but only when the food and wine were not up to his very high standards. During his time as Editor of this Journal he raised its international profile very substantially. He was particularly concerned that anatomy, and the Journal, should respond actively to the rapid developments in molecular biology and genetics, and worked tirelessly to increase the journal' coverage of these areas. This work led to the relaunch of the Journal of Anatomy in January 2002, under the editorship of Professor Gillian Morriss-Kay, and published by Blackwell Publishing. PK suffered a stroke at the beginning of last year, while attending a CMT disease Consortium meeting in Naarden, the Netherlands. He has made a remarkable recovery. His many friends and colleagues, including those unable to attend this meeting, wish him and his family well and hope we will continue to benefit from his tremendous scientific and clinical wisdom and from his love of life.