1948-2021

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It is with great sadness that the death of Dr Andrew Hyatt was announced on 15 June. Andrew was born in Bristol in 1948 and educated at King Edward VI School, Bath. He began studying for a degree in Dental Surgery at the University of Bristol. Whilst at Bristol, he took a hiatus from dentistry and embarked upon a BSc in biochemistry, gaining a PhD in the subject in 1976. Andrew then qualified as a dental surgeon and became both a lecturer in biochemistry and an undergraduate teacher in restorative dentistry, specialising in endodontics at University College Hospital (UCH), London. He eventually became senior lecturer and honorary consultant there.

Andrew was a past President of the British Endodontic Society, lecturing widely on the subject, and was a former partner at Lister House Endodontic Practice in Wimpole Street. Andrew spawned a generation of UCH students who admired him greatly and always viewed him with huge affection.

To call Andrew a Renaissance man would be an oversimplification of his many talents and interests. Apart from his brilliant and analytical scientific mind and unquestionable clinical skills, which made him a sought-after and highly respected London specialist, he had a deep love and understanding of philosophy, history, poetry and literature. He wrote beautifully, modestly describing his penmanship as 'scribbles'.

Along with music, especially the guitar blues of the Mississippi Delta, his other great love was wine. His knowledge, rigour and forensic ability to understand and interpret a 'beaker full of the warm south' was impressive, to say the least. He spoke entertainingly on the subject to many wine societies and at formal tastings. However, his love of wine was not just a sign of his enviable intellect and taste; his enjoyment in sharing his finest bottles and the conviviality and joy it brought others were a sign of his warmth and generosity.

Andrew was diagnosed with a terminal illness in 2019 and had been parrying this unwelcome intruder with stoicism and strength until he lost his fight at his home in Cromer last month. He leaves behind his devoted wife, Zoe, and his daughter Isabelle.

Mubariz Hussain