I was born in Hull East Yorkshire, but educated in Nottinghamshire in a Cathedral Choir School in Southwell. I came to Edinburgh in 1954 to study medicine where I stayed for the remainder of my days. I played lots of sport as a student, running and rugby. I married as a student to Jenny who was also in the year. I graduated in 1960, both house jobs in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and then left medicine for 3 years for a degree in Biochemistry where my project got me involved in the study of dietary fibre.

I found that I missed clinical work and returned to the Royal Infirmary to the Department of Therapeutics during which time I obtained the MRCP Ed diploma in 1965, specialising in Haematology. I became a consultant Gastroenterologist and Senior Lecturer in Medicine at the Gastrointestinal Unit at the Western General Hospital in 1969. Soon after this I became FRCPEd. My job was to run the research laboratories, but the amount of clinical work and clinical teaching increased over the years and in addition endosocopy and working in the assisted nutrition team. I was very much a teaching Hospital NHS consultant.

I was continuously fascinated by research into dietary fibre and from this came 250 or more papers with many PhD, MD and post doc students. I have written several books and importantly working with Reg Passmore on Davidson and Passmore, a great experience. I became a Reader in Medicine.

I have been Honorary Librarian to the Royal College of Physicians one of Britain's great medical libraries.

Jenny and I have 4 children, 6 grandchildren, and own a narrow boat on the English canals where we spend time during the summer; I curl in the winter, keep bees, carve wood, enjoy music and opera and play awful bridge and golf. I love watching cricket having been a modest player, have run 4 marathons and am a Freeman of the City of London which means that I can take a flock of geese over London Bridge.

I believe that nutrition is central to life, physiology and medicine and that a variety of nicely cooked enjoyable food is the basis of life. I wrote this book so that all of the theories, which are such a feature of nutrition, can be tested against the underlying science, which is a major pillar of the subject.

Martin Eastwood