John Robert Vane was born March 29, 1927, in Tardebigge, Worcester. His parents' Christmas gift of a chemistry set sparked Vane's interest in science when he was twelve, and his home became the site of numerous experiments. However, upon entering the University of Birmingham in 1944, he found that the work given him was not as challenging as he anticipated. At the advice of a professor, he decided to go to Oxford University to study pharmacology after receiving his B.S. in chemistry from Birmingham in 1946. Vane became a fellow on Oxford's Therapeutic Research Council for the next two years. He obtained a B.S. in pharmacology from Oxford in 1949, and earned his doctorate in 1953. After leaving Oxford, Vane came to America to teach pharmacology at Yale University. He returned to England in 1955 as a senior lecturer in pharmacology at the Royal College of Surgeons, at its Institute of Basic Medical...