John A. Fordyce

On the medical profession represented in the Century’s membership the year 1925 laid heavy toll. John Addison Fordyce was a progressive worker and investigator, kept abreast of the latest developments in medical science, and up to the last was engaged in advancing his chosen specialty and lending encouragement to others in the field. He was remarkable not only because of his great capacity for work but because of his vision, breadth of mind and ability to correlate the theoretical with the practical, the laboratory with the bed-side. Much as he loved the scientific part of his work, the human side always made the first appeal. He enjoyed the daily intercourse with his patients; they interested him as people; their points of view on the various problems of life and the great questions of the day as well as on their personal difficulties were received with a tolerance and sympathy unusual in a busy practitioner. Dr. Fordyce never hesitated to acknowledge a mistake or to admit he could not make a diagnosis; these were qualities which won for him confidence, affection and great respect.

Fordyce was fond of art in all its forms. He collected paintings, etchings and prints. He was himself a photographer of unusual skill, which was addressed to pictures of landscapes, of odd and artistic corners of Europe and of character studies. He was also an omnivorous reader and a good raconteur with a keen sense of humor, which often served to convert a dreaded and gloomy consultation into a pleasant visit.

Alexander Dana Noyes
1926 Century Association Yearbook