Richard Bright (28 September 1789 – 16 December 1858) was an English physician and early pioneer in the research of kidney disease. He is particularly known for his description of Bright's disease.
Biography
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.[1] His thesis was De erysipelate contagioso (On contagious erysipelas).[2]
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.”[5]
He delivered the Lumleian Lectures in 1837 on "Disorders of the Brain" and the Gulstonian lectures in 1833 on the "Function of the Abdominal Viscera" at the Royal College of Physicians.[6]
A memorial to Richard Bright in St James's Church, Piccadilly.
Bright had two sons. The younger also became a physician; the elder, James Franck Bright, a historian.
Cultural references
When asked if he had ever been seriously ill, S.J. Perelman quipped, "Why, yes. I had Bright's disease. And he had mine."
He lived at 11 Saville Row, London, which is now commemorated by a blue plaque.[7] This address was the filming location of the tailor's shop in the Kingsman films and the plaque can be seen outside.
^"Richard Bright 1789–1858: Physician in an Age of Revolution and Reform". New England Journal of Medicine. 329 (1823). 1993. doi:10.1056/NEJM199312093292422.
van Gijn, J; Hart W (December 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. PMID10633798.
Kark, R M; Moore D T (April 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. doi:10.3366/anh.1981.10.1.119. PMID11615995.
Brian, V A (December 1976). "The man behind the name: Richard Bright: 1789–1858". Nursing Times. 72 (49): 1937. PMID794840.
Striker, C (October 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. PMID14054272.
