James W. Black

All I ever promised was that I was sure I could develop a new pharmacological agent which might answer a physiological question. Any utility would be implicit in that answer. ↗

— James W. Black

#answer #any #could #develop #ever

Apart from two periods of intense study, of music between the ages of 12 and 14 and of mathematics between the ages of 14 and 16, I coasted, daydreaming, through most of my school years. ↗

— James W. Black

#apart #between #coasted #daydreaming #i

I had found myself a new mission - and once more my recurring dilemma between corporate commercial needs and personal scientific ambitions was solved unexpectedly. ↗

— James W. Black

#commercial #corporate #dilemma #found #had

Half-jokingly, I asked what was wrong with me. So we made a deal: I would run his biological research provided I had a free hand to run my new project. ↗

— James W. Black

#biological #deal #free #free hand #had

I did help to set up an undergraduate course in medicinal chemistry and made progress in modelling and analysing pharmacological activity at the tissue level, my new passion. ↗

— James W. Black

#analysing #chemistry #course #did #help

I met Hilary Vaughan at a Student Ball in 1944 and we married in the summer of 1946, as soon as I graduated. ↗

— James W. Black

#graduated #hilary #i #married #met

In teaching, I wanted to offer a general pharmacology course based on chemical principles, biochemical classification and mathematical modelling. In the event I achieved neither of my ambitions. ↗

— James W. Black

#based #biochemical #chemical #classification #course

My father, a mining engineer and colliery manager, gave his brood many advantages not least of which, for me, was his love of singing which gave music a central place in our lives. ↗

— James W. Black

#brood #central #engineer #father #gave

We paid off our debts, we learned some, made friends and returned in 1950 with a larger view of life. I had, however, no home, no income of any kind and no prospects whatsoever. ↗

— James W. Black

#debts #friends #had #home #however