The Independent from London, Greater London, England • 74

N0VEMBER2Q1Q THE INDEPENDENT Viewspaper 9 5tuiday26Novemberl922 Three weeks after discovering Tutankhamun's burial chamber, the Eyptologist Howard Carter and his patron Lord Carnarvon became the first people in 3000 years to enter the tomb of the teenage pharaoh Professor David Frisby Sociologist who established himself as the world's leading expert on German social thought BIRTHDAYS John Amaechi, broadcaster, activist and former basketball player, 40; Natasha Bedingfield, anger, 29; Hilary Benn MP, 57; Professor Margaret Boden, Research Professor in Cognitive Science, Sussex University, 74; Paul Burnett, disc jockey, 67; Matt Frei, Chief Washington Correspondent, BBC TV, 47; Sir Brian Goswell, former ological thinker, Frisby offered highly illuminating and original interpretations of the work of other great modernist thinkers such as Lukacs, Benjamin, and Kracauer. More recently, his focus had moved to architecture and the city, with UUyscapes of Modernity (2001) and an (co-edited by Iain Boyd White) currently under preparation. He had his more private academic passions, too, on which he never published but could talk at length: he cited Wittgenstein's Culture and Value as among his favourite books, and a copy of The Big Typescript always sat on his desk. He had long planned to write a book on detectives and social theory (Amazon.com even lists such a book, although it doesntesdst-David rather liked that), said privatefythat he would love to write something on Wittgenstein, and in the last year spendagreat deal of time reading Nietzsche, whose style he enjoyed. David was an extraoitlinarily generous academic anyone (student or colleague) who knocked at his door with a question was ushered inside, and would leave some time later, always enthused and clutching a list of references, and even a book or two plucked from his packed and elaboratly organised shelves.He was genuinely interested in what colleagues were up to, often surprising them by how much he knew about the topic in which they specialised.

One would always come away from a conversation with him wanting to read more, but despite the astonishing depth and range ofhis learning hewasnever intimidating. In his work he always de-ferred to the status of those he was writing about, never pushing himself forward, always standing back, committed to offering his subjects what Wittgenstein used to call a "perspicuous" view. He was, as countless colleagues remarked, the most gentle of gentlemen scholars. He is survived by Tanya, his wife, with whomhe shared almost 30 happy years, Michelle and Anton, and two grandchildren. DICKHOBBS DavMFrisbyjSodolQgUtbomSheffield 26 March married Cone son, one daughter); died20November2010.

with Frisby wanting to read more David Frisby had a knack of inserting jokes, anecdotes, and gentle wisdominto lectures on the most seemingly austere areasof social theory, leaving his audience with gossip concerning Max Weber's love life as well as insights into the intricacies of neo-Kantian antipositivism. David Patrick Frisby was born and brought Up in working-class Sheffield, and after Grammar School he worked as management trainee for the National Coal Board, who awarded him a scholarship to study sociology at the London School of Economics. The terms of the scholarship demanded that David spend part of his vacations painting coal wagons black, a task he cited with amused relish as an example of pointless labour. He graduated from the LSE with the prize for the best finals marks in his year. He taught at the University of Kent from 1968-73, and in 1975 was appointed to a lectureship at Glasgow University, where he spent the next 30 years, establishing himself asthe world'sfore-most expert on German social thought He gainedhis PhD in 1978, and with Tom Bottomore translated Georg Simmers gporgmtiPhilosophyofMoney 1978)i his books and essays on Sim-mel and other German social thinkers including Sociologicallmpressionism (1981), Fragments of Modernity (1988) and Simmel and Since (1994) have achieved definitive status.

It wasa career of considerable distinction. Frisby loved to travel, teach-ing at Heidelberg, Konstanz and Freiburg in Germany; and Princeton, Yale, San Diego and New York University iri the Unital States. Hespentthree months in Heidelberg while finishing his PhD, and talked fondly of his daily writing routine, which involved three two-hour stretches punctuated by a series of carefully planned walks, a long lunch and a draft beer every evening which, so he said, took eight and a half minutes to pour, He also spent some time in Australia where, every Friday afternoon, the Head Df Department would hand him cash in anenvdopeforT3eermoneyw.Hewas fascinated by the recent financial morning at a corner table at the LSE's Garrick bar arid recalling that his first application Professor Wallace Fox In the obituary for Professor Wallace Fox (24 November), no mention was made ofhis greatest achievement, which was the design and testing of the current six-month regimen for the chairman, ISS Group, 75; The Earl of Gowrie, chairman, Magdi Yacoub Institute, 71; LordDeben, former MP and govern ment minister, 71; The Right Rev Richard Holloway, former Bishop of Edinburgh and Primus ofthe Scottish Episcopal Church, 77; Professor Herbert Huppert, Director, Institute of Theoretical Geophysics, Cambridge University, 67; John McVie, bass guitarist, 65; Lord Moore of Lower Marsh, former MP, 73; Sir George Quigley, chairman, Short Brothers, 81; Baroness Quin, former MPt 66; Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal, president, Falkland Islands Trust, 87; Gisela Stuart MP, 55; Barbara CSK Switzer, former assistant general secretary, Science Finance Union, 69; Turner: 71 Tina Turner, singer, 71; Keith Vaz MP, 54; Des Walker, former England footballer, 45; Norman West, former MEP, 75; Peter Wheeler, former England and Lions rugby union player, 62. GAZETTE NOTICES The independent, 2 Derry Street, London WB 5HF gazette! ndepe ndentmu lXWH)mt)44 2D 7005 2882 FAXi D2D 7005 2399 Them Is. no: OBITUARIES TEQTHDNEVD44 2D 7005 2882 FAX 044 20 7005 2399 One always finished a conversation for a bank loan had been rejected by Barclays: it had been for money tobuy a car in which he could drive to various conferences.

He spoke warmly of his years at in Glasgow, his home until he died, gaining a further MA qualification from the Glasgow School of Art for a thesis on Otto Wagner in 1998. His appointment to a Chair in Sociology at the LSE came in 2005. Just as in Glasgow he was a popular teacher and a quiet but influential operator on academic committees. He had a talent for "seeing through" people and had little time forfragile academicegos and their as-sociated protocols, which he could subtly burst with an amuangrecollection and a pointed remark about the "great and good" of sociology. For David Frisby the work of a scholar involved a great deal of painstaking detective work as well as careful, precise interpretation.His books and treatment of tuberculosis which has been adopted worldwide by the World Health Organisation, writes Professor Denny Mitqhison, The intro-ducion of this regimen has been responsible for the saving of literally millions of lives and is probably the most important advance in public health made duringthe past 60 years.

articles are meticulously researched, and he paid particular attention to getting his references spot-on. Faithful transktionwasunportanttohim, and he took pains to correct thoseinstances, where inaccuracy had led to significant misunderstanding. He also enjoyed discovering connections between scholars and texts: he recently took the trouble of reading a PhD thesis written by someone who played tennis with aneighbour of Simmel "I realised I may have finally exhausted my topic," he said with typical modesty when he found nothing of interest He wrote everything out in longhand, and his prose style was invariably elegant and precise, But it is for the substance of his contribution to our understanding ofthe history of social thought that he will be long remembered, and with considerable gratitude. Besides doing so much to estab-lish Simmers centrality as a key soci The work started with a multi-centre trial of uniquely modern design in East Africa that demonsratetd the yalueofrifampicmandpyrazinamide in shortening treatment from 12 to six months, It Was then followed by a coordinated development programme in East Africa, Hong Kong, Singapore and Madras. We can now treat TB suc cessfully for under 40 in drug costs, Wallace was the undoubted leader in all of this work of the British Medical Research Council, with willing collab-oratorsinthe various countries.

While we still would like to shorten treatment even further, this programme cwtthe stingof one ofthe world'smost feared and dangerous diseases..