John Waterlow
Encyclopedia
John Conrad Waterlow was a British physiologist who specialised in childhood malnutrition
.
and went on to study classics at Trinity College, Cambridge
in 1935, before changing to study medicine and physiology instead after being inspired by a lecture on leprosy
he had heard in his last year at Eton given by Tubby Clayton. He graduated in 1935 with a first class degree in physiology and went on to qualify as a doctor in 1942 having studied at the London Hospital Medical College, during which much time was spent treating casualties of The Blitz
.
's (MRC) military personnel research programme, working under BS Platt, where he spent a year studying heat stroke and heat exhaustion in Basra
. After the second world war had ended, Platt became the head of a new research unit at the MRC, focuing on nutrition
and Waterlow followed him and worked with the unit. During this time, Platt imprinted the a prediction on Waterlow that, "Nutrition will be the problem of the future". He was sent to the Caribbean in 1945 to investigate why large numbers of children there were dying and discovered that many had oedematous malnutrition and fatty liver
s, but was unsure why this was the case. To investigate the cases, he made a microbalance
using the newly invented adhesive araldite
, to weigh 2 mg samples of liver tissue and also a microrespirometer
to measure the enzyme activity in the samples. The microrespirometer is said to have been much more sensitive than those used by other biochemists at the time and the microbalance was sensitive to within one millionth of a gram. He subsequently discovered that the syndrome he was observing was the same as Kwashiorkor
which had been described a few years earlier in Africa. Waterlow set about investigating the biochemical basis of Kwashiorkor, both in the West Indies and at several field stations in Africa.
, a British diplomat and Helen Eckhard who was from a well off family of German immigrants living in Manchester. In 1939 he married Angela Grey who was a history student at Cambridge University and they later went on to have two sons and one daughter; Sarah, Oliver and Dick.
Malnutrition
Malnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....
.
Education
Waterlow was educated at Eton CollegeEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and went on to study classics at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
in 1935, before changing to study medicine and physiology instead after being inspired by a lecture on leprosy
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
he had heard in his last year at Eton given by Tubby Clayton. He graduated in 1935 with a first class degree in physiology and went on to qualify as a doctor in 1942 having studied at the London Hospital Medical College, during which much time was spent treating casualties of The Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
.
Career
After qualifying as a doctor, he was attached to the Medical Research CouncilMedical Research Council
Medical Research Council may refer to:* Medical Research Council , a UK organisation* National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia's peak funding body for medical research...
's (MRC) military personnel research programme, working under BS Platt, where he spent a year studying heat stroke and heat exhaustion in Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
. After the second world war had ended, Platt became the head of a new research unit at the MRC, focuing on nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
and Waterlow followed him and worked with the unit. During this time, Platt imprinted the a prediction on Waterlow that, "Nutrition will be the problem of the future". He was sent to the Caribbean in 1945 to investigate why large numbers of children there were dying and discovered that many had oedematous malnutrition and fatty liver
Fatty liver
Fatty liver, also known as fatty liver disease , is a reversible condition where large vacuoles of triglyceride fat accumulate in liver cells via the process of steatosis...
s, but was unsure why this was the case. To investigate the cases, he made a microbalance
Microbalance
A microbalance is an instrument capable of making precise measurements of weight of objects of relatively small mass: of the order of a million parts of a gram. In comparison, a standard analytical balance is 100 times less sensitive; i.e. it is limited in precision to 0.1 milligrams...
using the newly invented adhesive araldite
Araldite
Araldite is a registered trademark of Huntsman Advanced Materials referring to their range of engineering and structural epoxy, acrylic, and polyurethane adhesives. The name was first used in 1946 for a two-part epoxy adhesive....
, to weigh 2 mg samples of liver tissue and also a microrespirometer
Respirometry
Respirometry is a general term that encompass a number of techniques for obtaining estimates of the rates of metabolism of vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, tissues, cells, or microorganisms via an indirect measure of heat production ....
to measure the enzyme activity in the samples. The microrespirometer is said to have been much more sensitive than those used by other biochemists at the time and the microbalance was sensitive to within one millionth of a gram. He subsequently discovered that the syndrome he was observing was the same as Kwashiorkor
Kwashiorkor
Kwashiorkor is an acute form of childhood protein-energy malnutrition characterized by edema, irritability, anorexia, ulcerating dermatoses, and an enlarged liver with fatty infiltrates. The presence of edema caused by poor nutrition defines kwashiorkor...
which had been described a few years earlier in Africa. Waterlow set about investigating the biochemical basis of Kwashiorkor, both in the West Indies and at several field stations in Africa.
Personal life
Waterlow was the son of Sir Sydney WaterlowSydney Waterlow (diplomat)
Sir Sydney Philip Perigal Waterlow was a British diplomat, Ambassador to Greece from 1933 to 1939.-Life:...
, a British diplomat and Helen Eckhard who was from a well off family of German immigrants living in Manchester. In 1939 he married Angela Grey who was a history student at Cambridge University and they later went on to have two sons and one daughter; Sarah, Oliver and Dick.