Alberto Barton (1870-1950) was an Argentine-born

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

vian microbiologist who discovered the etiologic agent of Carrion´s disease or

Oroya fever ''Oroya'' is a genus of cacti (family Cactaceae), originating from Peru. The name comes from the Peruvian town of la Oroya La Oroya is a city on the River Mantaro in central Peru. It is situated on the Andes some 176 km east-north-e ...

. The bacteria was named: '' Bartonella bacilliformis'', in his honor. It is the type species of the genus Bartonella, and family Bartonellaceae.

Youth and education

Alberto Leonardo Barton Thompson was the fourth of nine brothers. His father was a

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

an chemist, Ralph John Barton Wild born in Montevideo, Uruguay, 24 December 1834, and his mother Anastasia Francisca Augusta del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Thompson, born in Buenos Aires, 25 December 1843, both of English descent. The whole family emigrated to Peru in 1874. Alberto Barton did his primary studies in "Nuestra Señora de la O de Lima" and the high school at "Convictorio Peruano en Lima." He was admitted to

San Marcos University The National University of San Marcos ( es, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, link=no, UNMSM) is a public research university located in Lima, the capital of Peru. It is considered the most important, recognized and representative educ ...

and graduated from the Medical School in 1900. He received a grant for training in tropical diseases and bacteriology in Edinburgh and at the London School of Tropical Medicine. He came back to Lima and was working as Chief Physician of the Department of Medicine of San Jorge of the Laboratory Department of Guadalupe Hospital. This was where he began his first research activities.

''Bartonella''

The discovery of ''Bartonella'' was made in 1905. There was an outbreak among

foreign worker Foreign workers or guest workers are people who work in a country other than one of which they are a citizen. Some foreign workers use a guest worker program in a country with more preferred job prospects than in their home country. Guest worke ...

s who traveled to La Oroya to participate in the construction of the Oroya-Lima railway. Most of the workers were transferred to Guadalupe Hospital and died of an unknown disease characterized by fever and severe anemia. Fourteen patients with anemia and fever were studied by Barton. He discovered bacillus within their red blood cells. If the patients recovered from the acute phase, the bacillus changed shape to cocci; and if the patients developed characteristic skin lesions—hemangioma-like nodules in the skin and mucous membranes-the so-called "Verruga peruana", the bacteria disappeared from the peripheral blood. On October 5, 1905, during a scientific meeting, he announced his discovery. The first manuscript was published in 1909 in the journal ''Crónica Médica''. In 1913, Richard P. Strong of Harvard University arrived in Peru to study the tropical diseases in South America. Strong confirmed Barton's discovery and named the bacteria ''Bartonia'' in honor of Barton; the bacterial species was subsequently named ''Bartonella bacilliformis''. Barton also studied

Paragonimiasis Paragonimiasis is a food-borne parasitic disease caused by several species of lung flukes belonging to genus '' Paragonimus''. Infection is acquired by eating crustaceans such as crabs and crayfishes which host the infective forms called metacerc ...

, Leishmaniasis, and

Brucellosis Brucellosis is a highly contagious zoonosis caused by ingestion of unpasteurized milk or undercooked meat from infected animals, or close contact with their secretions. It is also known as undulant fever, Malta fever, and Mediterranean fever. The ...

. He had a son named Hugo Andres Vizcarra Barton.

Awards

He was decorated with the "Orden del Sol de la Nación" in Peru for his research and was elected President of the National Academy of Medicine. Subsequently, he was the first Doctor Honoris Causa of San Marcos University in 1925. He died on October 25, 1950, at the age of 80.

References

Vizcarra Hugo. ''Alberto L Barton''. BookXpress, 2001.
Alberto Barton
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barton, Alberto Peruvian microbiologists National University of San Marcos alumni 1870 births 1950 deaths Argentine emigrants to Peru Argentine people of English descent People from Buenos Aires Peruvian people of English descent Peruvian people of Argentine descent Peruvian people of Uruguayan descent