Courtenay Felix Bartholomew (1931 – 7 May 2021) was a

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

physician, scientist, and author. He was the founder and director of the Medical Research Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago. He was active in HIV/AIDS research, and was notable for diagnosing the first case of AIDS in the English-speaking Caribbean. He also led HIV vaccine trials and research on

retrovirus A retrovirus is a type of virus that inserts a DNA copy of its RNA genome into the DNA of a host cell that it invades, thus changing the genome of that cell. Once inside the host cell's cytoplasm, the virus uses its own reverse transcriptase ...

es with US institutions.

Early life and education

Courtenay Bartholomew was born in 1931 and grew up in

Port of Spain Port of Spain (Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a municip ...

, Trinidad and Tobago. He attended Nelson Street Boys’ RC School and St. Mary’s College. He had a keen interest in biology and chemistry, but disliked physics: his dream was to become a physician. Two people inspired him the most: Dr. Aldwin Gerard Francis and his own uncle, who also wanted to become a physician but was forced to abandon this dream due to racial prejudice in Canada. In 1960, Bartholomew graduated from

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

where he studied internal medicine. In 1964, he obtained a specialty degree in

gastroenterology Gastroenterology (from the Greek gastḗr- “belly”, -énteron “intestine”, and -logía "study of") is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders. The digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract ...

from the

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that sets the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by Royal charter ...

, making him the first West Indian to obtain a degree in gastroenterology. In 1965, he obtained a Doctorate in Medicine from the

National University of Ireland The National University of Ireland (NUI) ( ga, Ollscoil na hÉireann) is a federal university system of ''constituent universities'' (previously called ''university college, constituent colleges'') and ''recognised colleges'' set up under t ...

Academic career

In 1967, Bartholomew became the first lecturer in Medicine at

The University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in th ...

(St. Augustine Campus). In 1977, he became the first Professor of Medicine at the University of the West Indies (St. Augustine Campus). Bartholomew researched

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

and

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

. He diagnosed the first case of AIDS in the English-speaking Caribbean. He led HIV vaccine trials and research on

es with US institutions. He also studied internal diseases, scorpion sting venom,

acute pancreatitis Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a sudden inflammation of the pancreas. Causes in order of frequency include: 1) a gallstone impacted in the common bile duct beyond the point where the pancreatic duct joins it; 2) heavy alcohol use; 3) systemic disease; ...

Hepatitis A Hepatitis A is an infectious disease of the liver caused by ''Hepatovirus A'' (HAV); it is a type of viral hepatitis. Many cases have few or no symptoms, especially in the young. The time between infection and symptoms, in those who develop them ...

and B. He was the first local physician to become a member of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

, London without examination. He held Fellowships from the Royal Colleges of Ireland,

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

and London. He received University College Dublin’s highest honour of Honorary Fellowship of the Faculty of Medicine (2004) and the International Human Retrovirology Society Award (1991) for his outstanding contributions to medicine. He was a member of the World AIDS Foundation Scientific Advisory Committee and an advocate for public education on AIDS. Bartholomew was an advocate for fostering education and the use of libraries. He encouraged students to "be good at whatever you do", urged scientists to "be inquisitive to want to learn more" and highlighted the importance of teachers, as “teachers are there to guide and motivate”.

Religious activity

Bartholomew restored several churches in Trinidad. He authored several books focusing on

Mary, mother of Jesus Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

, including three titles including the phrase "A Scientist Researches Mary".

Death

Bartholomew died on 7 May 2021, at the age of 89.

Honours and awards

*University College Dublin Honorary Fellowship of the Faculty of Medicine *International Human Retrovirology Society Award *Membership of the Royal College of Physicians, London * Chaconia Gold Medal, Government of Trinidad and Tobago *

Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

Bibliography

* ''A Scientist Researches Mary: The Ark of the Covenant'' (1995) * ''A Scientist Researches Mary, Mother and Coredemptrix'' (1998) * ''A Scientist Researches Mary, Mother of All Nations'' (1999) * ''Her Majesty Mary, Queen of Peace: End Times Prophecies and Warnings of Mary'' (2002) * ''The Immaculate Heart of Mary, Jesus Eucharist and Mother Seton's Emmitsburg'' (2003) * ''The Passion of the Christ and His Mother: Including the Linkage with Exodus and the Night of the Passover'' (2004) * ''The Last Help Before the End of Time: The Ultimate Message of Fatima'' (2005) * ''The End of This Era: A Linkage of Science and Religion'' (2009)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartholomew, Courtenay 1931 births 2021 deaths Trinidad and Tobago scientists Trinidad and Tobago writers Alumni of University College Dublin Academic staff of the University of the West Indies Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh Recipients of the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Recipients of the Chaconia Medal People from Port of Spain