Richard Bright (physician)

Infobox Person
name=Richard Bright


caption=Richard Bright
quotation=
birth_date=September 281789
birth_place= Bristol
dead=
death_date=December 161858
death_place=London

Richard Bright (September 281789 – December 161858) 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 111858, 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 youngest also became a physician; the other, James Franck Bright, a historian.

References

*cite journal
quotes = yes
last=van Gijn
first=J
authorlink=
coauthors=Hart W
year=1999
month=Dec
title= [From the library of the Dutch Journal of Medicine: Richard Bright (1789-1858) and his 'Reports of Medical cases']
journal=Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde
volume=143
issue=51
pages=2570–5
publisher = | location = | issn =
pmid = 10633798
bibcode = | oclc =| id = | url = | language = | format = | accessdate = | laysummary = | laysource = | laydate = | quote =
*cite journal
quotes = yes
last=Berry
first=D
authorlink=
year=1994
month=Jul
title=Richard Bright (1789-1858): student days in Edinburgh
journal=Proceedings of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
volume=24
issue=3
pages=383–96
publisher = | location = | issn =
pmid = 11639543
bibcode = | oclc =| id = | url = | language = | format = | accessdate = | laysummary = | laysource = | laydate = | quote =
*cite journal
quotes = yes
last=MacKenzie
first=J C
authorlink=
year=1989
month=Aug
title=Dr Richard Bright--a man of many parts. His bicentenary year--1789-1858
journal=Bristol medico-chirurgical journal (1963)
volume=104
issue=3
pages=63–7
publisher = | location = | issn =
pmid = 2692780
bibcode = | oclc =| id = | url = | language = | format = | accessdate = | laysummary = | laysource = | laydate = | quote =
*cite journal
quotes = yes
last=Marz
first=I
authorlink=
year=1989
month=
title= [Richard Bright--28 September 1789 to 16 December 1858]
journal=Zeitschrift für ärztliche Fortbildung
volume=83
issue=23
pages=1207–9
publisher = | location = | issn =
pmid = 2697997
bibcode = | oclc =| id = | url = | language = | format = | accessdate = | laysummary = | laysource = | laydate = | quote =
*cite journal
quotes = yes
last=Kark
first=R M
authorlink=
coauthors=Moore D T
year=1981
month=Apr
title=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
journal=Archives of natural history
volume=10
issue=1
pages=119–51
publisher = | location = | issn =
pmid = 11615995
bibcode = | oclc =| id = | url = | language = | format = | accessdate = | laysummary = | laysource = | laydate = | quote =
*cite journal
quotes = yes
last=Brian
first=V A
authorlink=
year=1976
month=Dec
title=The man behind the name: Richard Bright: 1789-1858
journal=Nursing times
volume=72
issue=49
pages=1937
publisher = | location = | issn =
pmid = 794840
bibcode = | oclc =| id = | url = | language = | format = | accessdate = | laysummary = | laysource = | laydate = | quote =
*cite journal
quotes = yes
last=Lyons
first=J R
authorlink=
year=1976
month=Apr
title=Pioneers in medicine: Richard Bright (1789-1858)
journal=Nursing mirror and midwives journal
volume=142
issue=18
pages=54
publisher = | location = | issn =
pmid = 775451
bibcode = | oclc =| id = | url = | language = | format = | accessdate = | laysummary = | laysource = | laydate = | quote =
*cite journal
quotes = yes
last=Bruetsch
first=W L
authorlink=
year=1971
month=
title=Richard Bright (1789-1858) and apoplexy
journal=Transactions of the American Neurological Association
volume=96
issue=
pages=213–5
publisher = | location = | issn =
pmid = 4945917
bibcode = | oclc =| id = | url = | language = | format = | accessdate = | laysummary = | laysource = | laydate = | quote =
*cite journal
quotes = yes
last=Kinder
first=C H
authorlink=
year=1966
month=Nov
title=Richard Bright (1789-1858)
journal=Investigative urology
volume=4
issue=3
pages=288–90
publisher = | location = | issn =
pmid = 5333197
bibcode = | oclc =| id = | url = | language = | format = | accessdate = | laysummary = | laysource = | laydate = | quote =
*cite journal
quotes = yes
last=STRIKER
first=C
authorlink=
year=1963
month=Oct
title=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
journal=Cincinnati journal of medicine
volume=44
issue=
pages=426–8
publisher = | location = | issn =
pmid = 14054272
bibcode = | oclc =| id = | url = | language = | format = | accessdate = | laysummary = | laysource = | laydate = | quote =
*cite journal
quotes = yes
year=1955
month=Jul
title=Richard Bright (1789-1858)
journal=The Merck report
volume=64
issue=3
pages=19
publisher = | location = | issn =
pmid = 13244362
bibcode = | oclc =| id = | url = | language = | format = | accessdate = | laysummary = | laysource = | laydate = | quote =

External links

* [http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/1984.html WhoNamedIt biography]
* [http://cdm.lib.uiowa.edu/cdm4/index_jmrbr.php?CISOROOT=/jmrbr Images from the John Martin Rare Book Room, University of Iowa]