Professor Eric D'Ath was educated in New Zealand at Wanganui Collegiate School. Prior to his entry as an undergraduate into medical school he served for three years in the New Zealand Medical Corps in the First World War, latterly as a medical orderly on the New Zealand Hospital Ship "Maheno". He graduated in Medicine from Otago University in 1923 after a successful undergraduate career winning a Division Bursary in his final year.

He commenced his training in pathology as an assistant to Professor Murray Drennan at the Otago University Medical School and subsequently as pathologist to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney and lecturer in pathology at the University of Sydney. In his 6th year following graduation and at the age of 32 years he was appointed in 1929 to succeed Professor Murray Drennan at Otago University as Professor of Pathology and Medical Jurisprudence. In 1962 after 32 years of tenure he retired from his chairmanship. His long and distinguished service to the University was honoured by the university council with the award of an emeritus professorship. Subsequently, the university in its centennial celebrations of 1975 awarded him an Hon DSc. In retirement he continued until 1971 to serve both the medical school and the community as a forensic pathologist and as a consultant to the police and the legal profession. Until 1974 he worked actively as a senior research fellow in the Hugh Adam Department of Cancer Research in the medical school, retiring finally at the age of 77 years after a span of 50 years as the senior pathologist in New Zealand.

Professor D'Ath taught both pathology and medical jurisprudence throughout his tenure. He was a master of the art of teaching basic principles in a simplle yet enthralling manner. This facet of his intellectual genius made him a truly outstanding teacher of the nature and manifestations of disease processes. In Otago he established the discipline of pathology as the hub of the educational wheel of both undergraduate and postgraduate medical teaching. He profoundly influenced the development of a sound foundation of basic scientific attitudes in the majority of the medical graduates of that time. Opportunities and resources for research during his chairmanship were exceedingly meagre. In spite of this he consistently encouraged his junior staff to undertake research projects and many of them completed an MD thesis during their period of training. His fundamental interest in academic research reached fulfillment during the latter years of his tenure in a major advisory and administrative contribution as president of the New Zealand branch of the British Empire Cancer Campaign Society and as chairman of its Medical Research Committee.

As his seniority amongst the departmental heads of the Faculty of Medicine advanced, so his unobtrusive influence on the progress and development of the school increased. His undoubted influence in the corridors of power both at the University of Otago and in the Department of Health had much to do with the development and close association and integration of the educational and clinical service roles of the departments of pathology throughout New Zealand during the two decades following the Second World War. His public image was that of an outstanding forensic expert witness. His gift for utilising carefully chosen, deliberately spoken, explicit lay terminology in guiding the court through complexities of medical evidence, coupled with his firm urbanity, unshakeably even temperament and the unhurried authority of his opinion, established him as a legendary figure in the medico-legal world of New Zealand. It was most appropriate that he was awarded the CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours of 1965, both for his academic and clinical contributions in pathology and for his medicolegal service to the community.

Perhaps of all his remarkable attributes Professor D'Ath's wisdom was most dominant. He was an exceedingly skilled and experienced anatomical pathologist whose diagnostic acumen was widely respected. His door was always open to those of his colleagues both senior and junior who sought his advice on a wide range of clinical, medico-legal and personal matters. He listened with great patience and undivided attention. There must be very few of his contemporaries, of his staff, or of his students who did not benefit immeasurably from his unhurried assessment of their problems and from his precise opinions and judgements. He was an impressive figure of quiet dignity with an unquestionably distinguished presence; a person of immense, genuine and uncontrived personal charm with whom it was impossible to sustain either anger or aggressive impatience. His place has long been assured amongst the great medical professors of the University of Otago.