Richard Bright
Richard Bright
Born	September 28, 1789 Bristol
Died	December 16, 1858 London

Richard Bright (September 28, 1789 – December 16, 1858) was an English physician and early pioneer in the research of kidney disease.

He was born in Bristol, Gloucestershire, the third son of Sarah and Richard Bright Sr., a wealthy merchant and banker. Bright Sr. shared his interest in science with his son, encouraging him to consider it as a career. In 1808, Bright Jr. joined the University of Edinburgh to study philosophy, economics and mathematics, but switched to medicine the following year. In 1810, he accompanied Sir George Mackenzie on a summer expedition to Iceland where he conducted naturalist studies. Bright then continued his medical studies at Guy's Hospital in London and in September 1813 returned to Edinburgh to be granted his medical doctorate. His thesis was De erysipelate contagioso (On contagious erysipelas).

During the 1820s and 1830s Bright again worked at Guy's Hospital, teaching, practising and researching medicine. There he worked alongside two other celebrated medical pioneers, Thomas Addison and Thomas Hodgkin. His research into the causes and symptoms of kidney disease led to his identifying what became known as Bright's disease. For this, he is considered the "father of nephrology".

Bright had a special affection for Hungary and in 1815 he lived in Festetics Castle in Keszthely, where there is a large plaque: “To the memory of the English physician scientist and traveller who was one of the pioneers in the accurate description of Lake Balaton.”

On December 11, 1858, Bright became severely ill due to complications of heart disease and was unable to recover. He died in London aged 69.

Bright had two sons. The younger also became a physician; the elder, James Franck Bright, a historian.

[edit] References

• van Gijn, J; Hart W (Dec 1999). "[From the library of the Dutch Journal of Medicine: Richard Bright (1789-1858) and his 'Reports of Medical cases']". Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde 143 (51): 2570–5. PMID 10633798. 
• Berry, D (Jul 1994). "Richard Bright (1789-1858): student days in Edinburgh". Proceedings of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh 24 (3): 383–96. PMID 11639543. 
• MacKenzie, J C (Aug 1989). "Dr Richard Bright--a man of many parts. His bicentenary year--1789-1858". Bristol medico-chirurgical journal (1963) 104 (3): 63–7. PMID 2692780. 
• Marz, I (1989). "[Richard Bright--28 September 1789 to 16 December 1858]". Zeitschrift für ärztliche Fortbildung 83 (23): 1207–9. PMID 2697997. 
• Kark, R M; Moore D T (Apr 1981). "The life, work, and geological collections of Richard Bright, M.D. (1789-1858); with a note on the collections of other members of the family". Archives of natural history 10 (1): 119–51. PMID 11615995. 
• Brian, V A (Dec 1976). "The man behind the name: Richard Bright: 1789-1858". Nursing times 72 (49): 1937. PMID 794840. 
• Lyons, J R (Apr 1976). "Pioneers in medicine: Richard Bright (1789-1858)". Nursing mirror and midwives journal 142 (18): 54. PMID 775451. 
• Bruetsch, W L (1971). "Richard Bright (1789-1858) and apoplexy". Transactions of the American Neurological Association 96: 213–5. PMID 4945917. 
• Kinder, C H (Nov 1966). "Richard Bright (1789-1858)". Investigative urology 4 (3): 288–90. PMID 5333197. 
• STRIKER, C (Oct 1963). "Richard Bright 1789-1858 (Garrison): Select Reports Of Medical Cases: Cases Illustrative Of Some Of The Appearances Observable On The Examination Of Diseases Terminating In Dropsical Effusion". Cincinnati journal of medicine 44: 426–8. PMID 14054272. 
• "Richard Bright (1789-1858)". The Merck report 64 (3): 19. Jul 1955. PMID 13244362. 

[edit] External links

• WhoNamedIt biography
• Images from the John Martin Rare Book Room, University of Iowa