Peter Hoffman

Peter bore his illness stoically and courageously. His devoted wife Sue was by his side throughout.

Peter was a microbiologist specialising in hospital hygiene. At first he told us that his job was telling nurses to be sure to wash their hands. If that were so, I wondered, any fool could do it … What on earth was the point of his University Degree in Microbiology? But of course it was far more complex than that. Peter became a leading authority in his field*. On holiday earlier this year we met a lady who told us she was a microbiologist. On hearing my name she exclaimed, ”Are you related to THE Peter Hoffman?” .Hard to imagine that the skinny two year old with matchstick legs had somehow become THE Peter Hoffman!

Are you related to THE Peter Hoffman?

At the outbreak of Bird Flu in 1997, Peter was sent to Hong Kong as an expert on disease transmission.

At the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry launched in 2019 into allegations of deaths from infected systems Peter was called as a Witness of Fact. You can see him giving evidence on Youtube. His CV submitted to the Inquiry ran to twenty three pages.

Peter and I were quite different. In looks: he was fair, I’m dark; he had brown straight hair, I have wiry black hair (what’s left of it). And in temperament and interests: football was never his thing; he became a scientist, I leant much more towards Humanities; he was a great cook – I’m just learning. Unlike me he has made no enemies.

And what a contrast in our careers. I had more employers than Harry Redknapp has managed Premier League Clubs, many more. But Peter worked for the same employer for his entire career, the UK Public Health Laboratory Service, though the name changed many times and his job changed around his particular fields of expertise.

Everyone says how gentle Peter was

But in recent years we grew closer especially after the deaths of our parents (in 1999 and 2010).

Everyone says how gentle Peter was. In the Book of Proverbs (Mishlei in Hebrew) it says, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” Unquestionably that applied to Peter. His memory will surely be for a blessing.

*Later in the evening Sue his widow read out many tributes from his colleagues.