Donald Alexander (1928 – 9 May 2007) was a Scottish physician and researcher and a major figure in international thyroid research. He studied at the University of Glasgow and graduated in 1951 being awarded the Cullen medal. He studied under

Edward Wayne Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...

, professor of medicine at the University of Glasgow and he developed an academic interest in thyroid disease. He then moved to the US to continue his research at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland where he worked on iodine metabolism. In 1964, he returned to Glasgow to study antithyroid drug action and perform metabolic studies. During this time, he pioneered the "block and replace" strategy for managing

Graves' disease Graves' disease (german: Morbus Basedow), also known as toxic diffuse goiter, is an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid. It frequently results in and is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. It also often results in an enlarged thyr ...

. He retired in 1994, but continued to work as an advisor to the Abbey National in Glasgow which he only stopped at the end of 2006. He died on 9 May 2007.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Donald Scottish physiologists Medical doctors from Glasgow 1928 births 2007 deaths Alumni of the University of Glasgow British expatriate academics in the United States British endocrinologists Scottish expatriates in the United States