Francis Arthur Bainbridge FRS FRCP (29 July 1874 – 27 October 1921) was an English physiologist.

History

Bainbridge was born in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, in 1874 and educated at

The Leys School The Leys School is a co-educational independent school in Cambridge, England. It is a day and boarding school for about 574 pupils between the ages of eleven and eighteen, and a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. Histo ...

. He entered

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

, in 1893, graduating BA in 1896, earning an M.B. in 1901,Bainbridge, Francis Arthur. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 1912-1921. Oxford University Press. 1927. p. 17 and finally a doctorate in 1904. Medicine did not appeal to him, and for a while he focused on Pathology and Bacteriology. In 1905, he became a lecturer of Pathology at Guy's Hospital, and in 1907, he went on as assistant Bacteriologist to the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine. His work on food-poisoning bacilli gained wide recognition, and was embodied in his lectures at the Royal College of Physicians. In 1911 he became a professor of physiology at Durham University. In 1915 he attained the chair of physiology at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, where he remained for the rest of his life. Bainbridge is best remembered for showing that an increase in pressure on the venous side of the

heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to t ...

resulted in an increased heart rate due to denervation of

vagal The vagus nerve, also known as the tenth cranial nerve, cranial nerve X, or simply CN X, is a cranial nerve that interfaces with the parasympathetic control of the heart, lungs, and digestive tract. It comprises two nerves—the left and right v ...

influences to the heart. The eponymous "

Bainbridge reflex The Bainbridge reflex or Bainbridge effect, also called the atrial reflex, is an increase in heart rate due to an increase in central venous pressure. Increased blood volume is detected by stretch receptors (Cardiac Receptors) located in both sides ...

" is named after him, being explained as an increased heart rate due to an increase of right

atrial The atrium ( la, ātrium, , entry hall) is one of two upper chambers in the heart that receives blood from the circulatory system. The blood in the atria is pumped into the heart ventricles through the atrioventricular valves. There are two at ...

pressure. Bainbridge's findings contradicted "Marey's Law", a law that stated that an increase in blood pressure caused a lowering of the heart rate. Marey's Law was devised in 1861 by French physiologist

Étienne-Jules Marey Étienne-Jules Marey (; 5 March 1830, Beaune, Côte-d'Or – 15 May 1904, Paris) was a French scientist, physiologist and chronophotographer. His work was significant in the development of cardiology, physical instrumentation, aviation, cinema ...

(1830–1904). Bainbridge also made important contributions in his studies of the mechanism of

lymph Lymph (from Latin, , meaning "water") is the fluid that flows through the lymphatic system, a system composed of lymph vessels (channels) and intervening lymph nodes whose function, like the venous system, is to return fluid from the tissues ...

formation, as well as on filtration properties of the

glomeruli ''Glomerulus'' () is a common term used in anatomy to describe globular structures of entwined vessels, fibers, or neurons. ''Glomerulus'' is the diminutive of the Latin ''glomus'', meaning "ball of yarn". ''Glomerulus'' may refer to: * the filter ...

in the

kidneys The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; bloo ...

. His most popular publications were "Essentials of Physiology" (1914) and "Physiology of Muscular Exercise" (1919). He was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemat ...

in May 1919

References

''Francis Arthur Bainbridge''
@

Who Named It ''Whonamedit?'' is an online English-language dictionary of medical eponyms and the people associated with their identification. Though it is a dictionary, many eponyms and persons are presented in extensive articles with comprehensive bibliograp ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bainbridge, Francis Arthur 1874 births 1921 deaths Academics of Durham University English physiologists Fellows of the Royal Society People educated at The Leys School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge