Richard Bright--physician extraordinaire.

Abstract

Richard Bright. Illustration by Venita Jay, MD, FRCPC. T their favorite teacher, Richard Bright, the students at Guy’s Hospital offered not only their deepest respect but also their affection. One of the great men of Guy’s, Bright’s medical contributions were far reaching and his love for medicine and pathology all consuming. He is rightfully regarded as one of the founding fathers of nephrology, with his name immortalized in the eponym Bright’s disease. There were other facets to this handsome scholar of medicine; Bright was also an accomplished artist, naturalist, linguist, geologist, traveler, and botanist. It has been said, ‘‘He wrote as no man had ever written before and as all who followed him were to attempt to write.’’ Bright’s extraordinary gift of observation was complemented by his detailed and exquisite illustrations. Born in Bristol, England, in 1789, Bright came from a wealthy intellectual family, which afforded him an excellent education and enabled him to travel. As a youth, he attended private school and later went to Edinburgh University. While at Edinburgh, Bright learned that the famous geologist Sir George Steuart Mackenzie was planning an expedition to Iceland. Bright and his friend Henry Holland accompanied Sir Mackenzie on this mission to study the volcanic geology of Iceland. When Mackenzie’s book, Travels in Iceland in the Summer of 1810, was published, it contained Bright’s sketches of the local flora and fauna, as well as shepherds and fishermen. As evidenced by his sketches, Bright’s remarkable skills of observation and artistic talent were fully utilized on this trip. The sojourn to Iceland profoundly affected the young Bright, who nearly lost his life on a couple of occasions during stormy moments, including a narrow escape from shipwreck. After his Icelandic adventure, Bright embarked on his medical studies at Guy’s Hospital in October 1810. He was profoundly affected by William Babington, who taught chemistry to medical students. Bright got his training at Guy’s and in Edinburgh and graduated in 1813 with a thesis on Erysipelas, in which he stressed the contagious nature of this disease. After graduation, Bright was off again on another excursion in 1814. This took him through Holland, Belgium,