Tribute to Jon Hodge

Jon was responsible for introducing me to the history and philosophy of biology when I first arrived at Leeds to do my MA in HPS having just graduated with a degree in molecular and cell biology. He was a towering figure. Gentle, patient, and kind, but also very opinionated and firm in his views. When I spoke of him to others who didn't know him, I would describe him as a 'walking encyclopaedia'. The depth and breadth of his knowledge was boundless; he could speak in a commanding way about just about anything, from Neopythagorean influences on French comparative anatomy to Boltzmann's statistical reinterpretation of the second law of thermodynamics. Hearing Jon talk shop was always an education. But he never flaunted his wisdom; what ever he said was invariably in the service of the conversation he was having. He was also extremely funny and witty. One of the reasons I looked forward to ISH every other summer was because I knew I would be able to catch up with Jon and pick his brains about whatever new topic I was working on. I regret not having told him how much I owe to him. He really was one of a kind.