What does an academic physician do when he retires: gardening, travel and tennis are surely not enough. I had written during all of my professional life - but scientifically and with a view to educating students and the general public. Always fascinated by the evolution of medicine and its human background, I decided to probe the life of Claude Bernard. He was my inspiration as a medical student, and I had passed on my enthusiasm in my teaching of my students during four decades in Australia and the UK. I retired to France, there better to research not only his work, but his life. I discovered so much that I didn't know previously: intrigues, conflicts and controversies and a remarkable interaction of life events and discovery. I decided that a simple biography could not do full justice to the theme: there were gaps which had to be closed and I did this by writing a biographical novel. This is the result.

British Medical Association Award (PatientWise information database for patients).
Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians and Royal Society of Medicine
Lister Medal for clinical surgery.