The Society regrets to hear of the death of Professor Ian Michael Glynn, a British physiologist who is celebrated for his work on the ‘sodium pump’.

Glynn studied medicine at the University of Cambridge, UK, before he became Professor of Physiology. He held the position from 1986–1995, when Glynn was named Professor Emeritus. Glynn was a Fellow at Trinity College, University of Cambridge from 1955.

Glynn studied the movement of ions through cell membranes, finding the link between potassium uptake and sodium outflow in red blood cells, and showed that the membrane is activated by external potassium and internal sodium. This work led to his election to the Royal Society and to Honorary Membership of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

He wrote two books ‘An Anatomy of Thought: The Origin and Machinery of the Mind’ (2003) and ‘Elegance in Science: The beauty of simplicity’ (2010).