David Mitchell

I have just read of the death of DWA Mitchell, a man who sought to pass on his wide knowledge of optometry to all his students, as well as to instil in them a sense of professionalism and care for the patient. I was one of these students, who came under his teaching in 1953/54. He was then Director of Education at the London Refraction Hospital (now The Institute of Optometry) and headed a dedicated team of teachers. He was a teacher 'par excellence', a two-hour lecture in an afternoon, with only a 15-minute break, would pass as no time at all. Such abilities are greatly missed. I knew he was sad to see, as I am, the direction which optometry has taken in this country in the last seven years or so. Trevor Adams Former Honorary Senior Orthoptist, London Refraction Hospital, former Lecturer, City University