Sheila Sherlock
Encyclopedia
Professor Dame Sheila Patricia Violet Sherlock, Mrs. James, DBE
, MD, FRCP, FRCP Ed
, FRS
(31 March 1918 – 30 December 2001) was a British
physician
, hepatologist and teacher
.
, before her family moved to Folkestone
in 1929. She was educated at the Folkestone County School for Girls
. She was rejected by several colleges when she applied for a place to read medicine; in pre-World War II
Britain, female applicants to medical schools were at a great disadvantage. She did gain a place at Edinburgh University in 1936. Her ability became evident, and she graduated in 1941, only the second woman to be awarded an Ettles Scholarship for finishing top of her year..
to take up the post of Assistant Lecturer in Surgery offered to her by Professor Sir James Learmonth
, and published her first paper with Learmonth in 1942; she later recounted that Learmonth had taught her how to conduct and document research. In the same year she was appointed House Physician to Professor Sir John McMichael at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School
, Hammersmith Hospital
.
In this post she worked on hepatitis
, which she was able to continue from 1943 to 1947 with funding from the Medical Research Council
and subsequently with the award of the Beit Memorial Fellowship. She was awarded her MD with a thesis on The Liver in Disease: with special reference to aspiration liver biopsy, receiving a Gold Medal from Edinburgh University. She also conducted research into portal hypertension
, hepatic encephalopathy
and ascites
at this time.
In 1947 she spent a year at Yale University
's School of Medicine as a Rockefeller Travelling Fellow, working on carbohydrate metabolism and liver disease. In 1948 she was appointed Lecturer in Medicine and Consultant Physician at Hammersmith Hospital at the age of 30. In 1951, aged 33, she was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians
(FRCP), making her, at the time, the youngest woman to receive this qualification.
In 1959 she was appointed the first professor of medicine at London
's Royal Free Hospital
School of Medicine. She founded the liver unit which was located in a temporary wooden structure on the roof of the hospital in Gray’s Inn Road; despite its location, the department attracted trainees from around the world, and many current leaders in the field of hepatology spent time there. Research in several different areas of liver disease was undertaken:bilirubin
metabolism, haemochromatosis
, cholestasis
, drug-induced liver disease
, albumin
synthesis, portal hypertension and ascites, autoimmune liver disease
and its treatment with corticosteroid
s, and the use of liver biopsy
in the diagnosis of liver disease were all studied.
In 1974 the department moved to the new hospital in Hampstead, where it was situated close to the clinical wards, on the 10th floor. Research continued there, with viral hepatitis, liver transplantation
and endoscopic
treatment of varices
all becoming important areas of study. She retired from the Chair of Medicine in 1983, but continued to see patients, conduct research, and write.
and the Journal of Hepatology.
She was the first woman in the UK to be appointed Professor of Medicine as well as the first woman to be Vice President of the Royal College of Physicians
. She held honorary degrees from universities including Lisbon (1981), Yale (1983), London (1989) and Cambridge (1995), and was awarded the Buckston Browne Prize (1953), the Thannhauser Prize (1980) and the Gold Medal of the British Medical Association (1985).
. They celebrated their golden wedding two weeks before her death in London on 30 December 2001, aged 83, from pulmonary fibrosis
. She was survived by her husband, two daughters, Amanda and Auriole, and two granddaughters. Her daughter Amanda, a Baptist minister, conducted her funeral..
became the centre for both research into liver disease and the education of trainees in the specialty.
In 1966, she developed the standard test for Primary Biliary Cirrhosis
and later showed that it was an autoimmune disease, with Deborah Doniach
of the Middlesex Hospital
. She also demonstrated the efficacy of corticosteroid therapy for autoimmune hepatitis. She also recognised the link between hepatitis B and hepatocellular carcinoma
In 2006, the Sheila Sherlock Prizes were founded with a donation from her husband, Dr Geraint James; two prizes are awarded to the highest achieving medical students at the UCL Medical School.
In March 2008, the 90th anniversary of her birth, the liver unit at the Royal Free Hospital which she founded was renamed the Sheila Sherlock Liver Centre in her memory.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, MD, FRCP, FRCP Ed
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
, FRS
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(31 March 1918 – 30 December 2001) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, hepatologist and teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
.
Early life
Sheila Sherlock was born on 31 March 1918 in Dublin. Her early life was spent in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, before her family moved to Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
in 1929. She was educated at the Folkestone County School for Girls
Folkestone School for Girls
Folkestone School for Girls is an all-girls grammar school in Folkestone, Kent. It is located next to Sandgate Primary School on Coolinge Lane. It has good reports from OFSTED, and excellent grades from the pupils. There is a crosskeys bus that takes girls to the top of the hill.-History:It...
. She was rejected by several colleges when she applied for a place to read medicine; in pre-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Britain, female applicants to medical schools were at a great disadvantage. She did gain a place at Edinburgh University in 1936. Her ability became evident, and she graduated in 1941, only the second woman to be awarded an Ettles Scholarship for finishing top of her year..
Career
She remained in EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
to take up the post of Assistant Lecturer in Surgery offered to her by Professor Sir James Learmonth
James Learmonth
Sir James Rögnvald Learmonth was a Scottish surgeon who made pioneering advances in nerve surgery.-Early years:James Rögnvald Learmonth was born on 23 March 1895 in Gatehouse of Fleet, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. He first studied at Girthon School where his father, William Learmonth, was...
, and published her first paper with Learmonth in 1942; she later recounted that Learmonth had taught her how to conduct and document research. In the same year she was appointed House Physician to Professor Sir John McMichael at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School
Royal Postgraduate Medical School
The Royal Postgraduate Medical School was an independent medical school, based primarily at Hammersmith Hospital in west London. In 1988, the school merged with the Institute of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and in 1997 became part of the Imperial College School of Medicine.-History:The medical school...
, Hammersmith Hospital
Hammersmith Hospital
Hammersmith Hospital is a major teaching hospital in West London. It is part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and is associated with the Imperial College Faculty of Medicine...
.
In this post she worked on hepatitis
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...
, which she was able to continue from 1943 to 1947 with funding from the Medical Research Council
Medical Research Council (UK)
The Medical Research Council is a publicly-funded agency responsible for co-ordinating and funding medical research in the United Kingdom. It is one of seven Research Councils in the UK and is answerable to, although politically independent from, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills...
and subsequently with the award of the Beit Memorial Fellowship. She was awarded her MD with a thesis on The Liver in Disease: with special reference to aspiration liver biopsy, receiving a Gold Medal from Edinburgh University. She also conducted research into portal hypertension
Portal hypertension
In medicine, portal hypertension is hypertension in the portal vein and its tributaries.It is often defined as a portal pressure gradient of 10 mmHg or greater.-Causes:Causes can be divided into prehepatic, intrahepatic, and posthepatic...
, hepatic encephalopathy
Hepatic encephalopathy
Hepatic encephalopathy is the occurrence of confusion, altered level of consciousness and coma as a result of liver failure. In the advanced stages it is called hepatic coma or coma hepaticum...
and ascites
Ascites
Ascites is a gastroenterological term for an accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity.The medical condition is also known as peritoneal cavity fluid, peritoneal fluid excess, hydroperitoneum or more archaically as abdominal dropsy. Although most commonly due to cirrhosis and severe liver...
at this time.
In 1947 she spent a year at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
's School of Medicine as a Rockefeller Travelling Fellow, working on carbohydrate metabolism and liver disease. In 1948 she was appointed Lecturer in Medicine and Consultant Physician at Hammersmith Hospital at the age of 30. In 1951, aged 33, she was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
(FRCP), making her, at the time, the youngest woman to receive this qualification.
In 1959 she was appointed the first professor of medicine at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Royal Free Hospital
Royal Free Hospital
The Royal Free Hospital is a major teaching hospital in Hampstead, London, England and part of the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust....
School of Medicine. She founded the liver unit which was located in a temporary wooden structure on the roof of the hospital in Gray’s Inn Road; despite its location, the department attracted trainees from around the world, and many current leaders in the field of hepatology spent time there. Research in several different areas of liver disease was undertaken:bilirubin
Bilirubin
Bilirubin is the yellow breakdown product of normal heme catabolism. Heme is found in hemoglobin, a principal component of red blood cells. Bilirubin is excreted in bile and urine, and elevated levels may indicate certain diseases...
metabolism, haemochromatosis
Haemochromatosis
Haemochromatosis type 1 is a hereditary disease characterized by excessive intestinal absorption of dietary iron resulting in a pathological increase in total body iron stores. Humans, like most animals, have no means to excrete excess iron...
, cholestasis
Cholestasis
In medicine, cholestasis is a condition where bile cannot flow from the liver to the duodenum. The two basic distinctions are an obstructive type of cholestasis where there is a mechanical blockage in the duct system such as can occur from a gallstone or malignancy and metabolic types of...
, drug-induced liver disease
Hepatotoxicity
Hepatotoxicity implies chemical-driven liver damage.The liver plays a central role in transforming and clearing chemicals and is susceptible to the toxicity from these agents. Certain medicinal agents, when taken in overdoses and sometimes even when introduced within therapeutic ranges, may injure...
, albumin
Albumin
Albumin refers generally to any protein that is water soluble, which is moderately soluble in concentrated salt solutions, and experiences heat denaturation. They are commonly found in blood plasma, and are unique to other blood proteins in that they are not glycosylated...
synthesis, portal hypertension and ascites, autoimmune liver disease
Autoimmune hepatitis
Autoimmune Hepatitis is a disease of the liver that occurs when the body's immune system attacks cells of the liver. Anomalous presentation of human leukocyte antigen class II on the surface of hepatocytes, possibly due to genetic predisposition or acute liver infection, causes a cell-mediated...
and its treatment with corticosteroid
Corticosteroid
Corticosteroids are a class of steroid hormones that are produced in the adrenal cortex. Corticosteroids are involved in a wide range of physiologic systems such as stress response, immune response and regulation of inflammation, carbohydrate metabolism, protein catabolism, blood electrolyte...
s, and the use of liver biopsy
Liver biopsy
Liver biopsy is the biopsy from the liver. It is a medical test that is done to aid diagnosis of liver disease, to assess the severity of known liver disease, and to monitor the progress of treatment.-History:...
in the diagnosis of liver disease were all studied.
In 1974 the department moved to the new hospital in Hampstead, where it was situated close to the clinical wards, on the 10th floor. Research continued there, with viral hepatitis, liver transplantation
Liver transplantation
Liver transplantation or hepatic transplantation is the replacement of a diseased liver with a healthy liver allograft. The most commonly used technique is orthotopic transplantation, in which the native liver is removed and replaced by the donor organ in the same anatomic location as the original...
and endoscopic
Endoscopy
Endoscopy means looking inside and typically refers to looking inside the body for medical reasons using an endoscope , an instrument used to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body. Unlike most other medical imaging devices, endoscopes are inserted directly into the organ...
treatment of varices
Esophageal varices
In medicine , esophageal varices are extremely dilated sub-mucosal veins in the lower esophagus...
all becoming important areas of study. She retired from the Chair of Medicine in 1983, but continued to see patients, conduct research, and write.
Publications
Dr. Sherlock was known as a clear and succinct writer, and she published over 600 papers in scientific journals. Her most widely known book, Diseases of the Liver and Biliary System, was first published in 1955, It was written solely by her until the ninth edition in 1993, and is now in its 11th edition. She was also editor of GutGut (journal)
Gut is a peer-reviewed medical journal on gastroenterology and hepatology. It is the journal of the British Society of Gastroenterology and is published by the BMJ Group, which is a subsidiary of the British Medical Association....
and the Journal of Hepatology.
Affiliations/awards
- Co-founder (with Hans Popper) and president, International Association for the Study of the Liver (1958–1962)
- President, British Society of GastroenterologyBritish Society of GastroenterologyThe British Society of Gastroenterology is a British professional organisation of gastroenterologists, surgeons, pathologists, radiologists, scientists, nurses, dietitians and others amongst its members, which number over 3,000. It was founded in 1937, and is a registered charity...
(1973) - Founder, and later President, British Liver Trust (1988–2001)
- Founder, American Association for the Study of Liver Disease
She was the first woman in the UK to be appointed Professor of Medicine as well as the first woman to be Vice President of the Royal College of Physicians
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
. She held honorary degrees from universities including Lisbon (1981), Yale (1983), London (1989) and Cambridge (1995), and was awarded the Buckston Browne Prize (1953), the Thannhauser Prize (1980) and the Gold Medal of the British Medical Association (1985).
Honours
- In 1951 she was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and delivered their Bradshaw LectureBradshaw LectureThe Bradshaw Lectures are prestigious lectureships given at the invitation of the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Surgeons of England....
(1961), Humphrey Davy Rolleston (1968) and Lumleian LecturesLumleian LecturesThe Lumleian Lectures are a series of annual lectures run by the Royal College of Physicians of London, started in 1582 and now run by the Lumleian Trust. The name commemorates John Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley, who with Richard Caldwell of the College endowed the lectures, initially confined to...
(1978) and Harveian OrationHarveian OrationThe Harveian Oration is a yearly lecture held at the Royal College of Physicians of London. It was instituted in 1656 by William Harvey, discoverer of the systemic circulation. Harvey made financial provision for the college to hold an annual feast on St...
(1985).
- In 1978 she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(DBE).
- In 1991 she received the honorary doctorateDoctorateA doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
for being an outstanding personality in the fields of clinical and experimental Hepatology from the Universal Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz (JGU).
- In May 2001 she was elected a Fellow of the Royal SocietyRoyal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(FRS) .
Personal life
In 1951 Sheila Sherlock married Dr Geraint James, a physician and researcher into sarcoidosisSarcoidosis
Sarcoidosis , also called sarcoid, Besnier-Boeck disease or Besnier-Boeck-Schaumann disease, is a disease in which abnormal collections of chronic inflammatory cells form as nodules in multiple organs. The cause of sarcoidosis is unknown...
. They celebrated their golden wedding two weeks before her death in London on 30 December 2001, aged 83, from pulmonary fibrosis
Pulmonary fibrosis
Pulmonary fibrosis is the formation or development of excess fibrous connective tissue in the lungs. It is also described as "scarring of the lung".-Symptoms:Symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis are mainly:...
. She was survived by her husband, two daughters, Amanda and Auriole, and two granddaughters. Her daughter Amanda, a Baptist minister, conducted her funeral..
Legacy
When Dr Sherlock started her medical career, little was known about liver disease. Her work helped to establish hepatology as a medical specialty. She pioneered the use of needle liver biopsy., which had been used purely as a research tool, based on the technique of Sir John McMichael; this improved understanding of the pathology of liver disease and is used in the diagnosis of liver diseases today. The liver unit that she set up at the Royal Free HospitalRoyal Free Hospital
The Royal Free Hospital is a major teaching hospital in Hampstead, London, England and part of the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust....
became the centre for both research into liver disease and the education of trainees in the specialty.
In 1966, she developed the standard test for Primary Biliary Cirrhosis
Primary biliary cirrhosis
Primary biliary cirrhosis, often abbreviated PBC, is an autoimmune disease of the liver marked by the slow progressive destruction of the small bile ducts within the liver. When these ducts are damaged, bile builds up in the liver and over time damages the tissue. This can lead to scarring,...
and later showed that it was an autoimmune disease, with Deborah Doniach
Deborah Doniach
Professor Deborah Doniach, MD, FRCP was a distinguished clinical immunologist and pioneer in the field of autoimmune diseases. -Selected Published Works:...
of the Middlesex Hospital
Middlesex Hospital
The Middlesex Hospital was a teaching hospital located in the Fitzrovia area of London, United Kingdom. First opened in 1745 on Windmill Street, it was moved in 1757 to Mortimer Street where it remained until it was finally closed in 2005. Its staff and services were transferred to various sites...
. She also demonstrated the efficacy of corticosteroid therapy for autoimmune hepatitis. She also recognised the link between hepatitis B and hepatocellular carcinoma
In 2006, the Sheila Sherlock Prizes were founded with a donation from her husband, Dr Geraint James; two prizes are awarded to the highest achieving medical students at the UCL Medical School.
In March 2008, the 90th anniversary of her birth, the liver unit at the Royal Free Hospital which she founded was renamed the Sheila Sherlock Liver Centre in her memory.