Professor Peter J. Scheuer (15 November 1928 – 1 March 2006)
Authors: Valeer Desmet
Journal: Journal of Hepatology (2007)

As a young histopathologist in 1966 I attended a Bilirubin Symposium organized by Dr. Barbara Billing in Sheila Sherlock’s department, in the legendary hut on the roof of the old Royal Free Hospital in London; I felt somewhat lost amidst an audience of biochemists and clinicians. At the symposium dinner in the historical Apothecaries’ Hall, a friendly gentleman in front of me politely inquired about my occupation. My answer “You might not be interested, I am just a histopathologist with an interest in the liver” had a hilarious effect as the man turned out to be a surprised Peter Scheuer – we remained life-long friends ever since. Having Peter Scheuer as a friend has been a valued privilege. He was of course professionally a most inspiring colleague, but also an exemplary human being: cultured, adhering to high moral principles, reserved, wise and modest, and with a pleasant undertone based on a fine sense of humour. Peter Scheuer was born in Hamburg in 1928, the youngest of four children into a Jewish family, which due to the threatening political circumstances was forced to move to Vienna in 1937, his parents’ original hometown. After the Nazi annexation of Austria in 1938, all the family members had to escape one by one. Peter and his mother joined his father in England in December 1938. During his time at secondary school he developed an interest in biology, and on leaving school in 1947 he became a hospital laboratory technician. Encouraged by the local pathologist, he decided to opt for a medical career. In 1949 he entered the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine and graduated with honours in 1954. After his National Service, spent in Singapore, Scheuer obtained a post in 1957 as Senior House Officer in Pathology at the Royal Free under Professor Kenneth Hill who advised him to go into research in liver disease, what resulted in an MD thesis on veno-occlusive disease, awarded in 1961. He spent the following year with Hans Popper at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, expanding his expertise in liver pathology, in addition to developing a close friendship with and greatest admiration for the “Founder of Hepatology”. He returned to his post as Lecturer, went through the classical passages through the ranks until he reached the position of Head of the Department of Histopathology in 1983, a post he held until his retirement in 1992. Being a man of international reputation and with a serious sense of duty, he took on additional responsibilities, including Vice-Dean of the Medical School, member of the Council of the Royal College of Pathologists, President of the British Association for the Study of the Liver and committee member of EASL. His weekly biopsy conferences with the clinical Hepatologists of the Royal Free were famous for his acuity of observation in microscopy and insight into pathology, as well as for the probing questions and remarks from Sheila Sherlock, who came as a Hepatologist of fame to the Royal Free in 1959. Both formed a perfect team that promoted Hepatology and rapidly earned fame world-wide. Peter was a founding member of the Gnomes, a group of colleagues who first gathered in a small restaurant after a lively debated slide seminar during the second EASL meeting in Göteborg in 1967, to discuss the then confusing topic of chronic hepatitis, finally agreeing to devote the whole meeting to this problem and deciding to reconvene the following year. That group has met on a yearly basis ever since, under the nickname given by Sherlock. Especially in the early years, Peter Scheuer, fluent in English and German, was the writer of the papers, summarizing long discussions and writing preliminary drafts quite late into the night. He was a talented writer, and a talented speaker as well. His English was unsurpassed in fluent and elegant writing, and crystal clear in speaking. Combined with his magic gift of making complicated topics easy, he became a legendary lecturer. His enthusiasm for sharing knowledge stimulated in 1968 the writing of his book “Liver Biopsy Interpretation”, the first of its sort, now in its 7th edition in co-authorship with his former co-worker Jay H. Lefkowitch from New York. The book is like the man: clear, concise, simple, and most helpful and instructive. He also was co-editor of the successful book “Pathology of the Liver”, initiated in 1978 by Sir Roddy Macsween, now appearing in its 5th edition. His charisma, fame and expertise attracted countless fellows from all over the globe, who came as research fellows and to train in liver biopsy diagnosis. They were duly trained in liver histopathology, in the Scheuer-attitude to life and in mastering proper English phrasing. Not surprising that many of his former fellows are now famous academic liver experts in their own right! After retirement Peter went on visiting the department and continued to review and publish scientific papers, though gradually reserving more time for family and leisure. A lover of opera and music, he refined his art of cello playing by participating in chamber music events, and dedicated time and energy to studying Italian, two hobbies he was particularly fond of. His wife Dr. Louise Withington, retired Professor of anatomy, shared his musical interest as an accomplished pianist. His characteristic altruism was implemented in his commitment to the British Liver Trust (the national charity helping patients with liver disease), of which he finally became vice-chairman. Peter Scheuer’s demise means a tremendous loss for the entire Hepatological community world-wide. He will be sadly missed by many. He is survived by his wife Louise, his two sons Robert and Edward, and three grand-daughters. The Editors together with EASL would like to thank Mrs. Louise Scheuer and the British Liver Trust www.britishlivertrust.org.uk for granting permission to publish the above photo which appears on the site www.friendsandrelations.com.