Sir James W. Black dies, aged 85

Sir James Whyte Black, inventor of beta-blocker drugs has died at the age of 85.

His family made the announcement yesterday that he passed away after a long illness.

Born in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, in 1924, Black was the fourth son of five of a Baptist family. He was raised and educated in Fife, first attending Beath High School in Cowdenbeath, and then going on to St. Andrews University where he studied medicine. In 1962 Black invented beta-blocker drugs which play an essential role in the treatment for angina and heart-attacks.

Black received a number of notable awards for his contribution to science during his life-time, including a knighthood in 1981, the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1988 for work leading to the discovery of Propranolol and Cimetidine, and in 2000 he was appointed to the Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth II.

Sir James Black died on the morning of the 22nd of March.