John Alexander Fraser Roberts, 8 September 1899 - 15 January 1987

John Alexander Fraser Roberts, though he only qualified in medicine when he was 37, was a pioneer in medical genetics, one of the founding fathers of clinical genetics and, with a handful of others, one of the leaders in human genetics. For these he acquired an international reputation. His research career spans a period of almost 60 years. From early researches on animal genetics, when he concentrated on complex characters often demonstrating a blend of inheritance and environmental influences, of nature and nurture, he soon moved to work on similar multifactorial characteristics in man. He became well known for his studies on measured intelligence, and his work on the genetic nature of hypertension made his name a household one in medical circles. Equally important, and innovative, turned out to be his studies on the relation between blood groups and disease. His working life was a period that saw fundamental changes in genetics in general and human genetics in particular, such as the biochemical genetics of inborn errors, cytogenetics, and the application of recombinant DNA methods. It was a period that saw also the practical possibilities of applying genetics to the service of man, for example, through medicine, with the unravelling of the pathogenesis of disease, with genetic counselling and diagnosis, and prenatal diagnosis; a time that found him not only receptive to advances but eager to help in exploiting them in practical ways. It was to the practical application of genetic knowledge that much of his thinking and working time was dedicated.