A scientist of international reputation, he was among the first to demonstrate the usefulness of heparin in treating thrombosis, to demonstrate the effectiveness of dicumarol in thrombosis, and originated the use of silicone in handling blood.
Born in Toronto on July 10, 1911, he attended the University of Toronto and earned three degrees: a B.A. in physiology and biochemistry (1933); M.A. (1935) and PhD (under the supervision of Dr. C.H. Best, 1941). In 1974 Jaques earned a D.Sc. from the University of Saskatchewan.
He held academic positions at the University of Toronto before accepting an appointment as Professor and Head of Physiology at the U of S in 1946 — a post he resigned to assume the Lindsay professorship.