Frederic Crosby Bartter (September 10, 1914 – May 5, 1983) was an American endocrinologist best known for his work on hormones affecting the

kidney 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; blood ...

and his discovery of

syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) is characterized by excessive unsuppressible release of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) either from the posterior pituitary gland, or an abnormal non-pituitary source. Unsuppressed ADH c ...

reproduced in and Bartter syndrome. Reproduced in He had a separate interest in

mushroom poisoning Mushroom poisoning is poisoning resulting from the ingestion of mushrooms that contain toxic substances. Its symptoms can vary from slight gastrointestinal discomfort to death in about 10 days. Mushroom toxins are secondary metabolites produced by ...

Early life

He was born to an English Anglican minister and his American wife in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, and grew up in the mountain village of Baguio. At the age of 13 he was sent, together with his brother, to attend the

Lenox School The Birch Wathen Lenox School is a college preparatory K-12 school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. Birch Wathen Lenox comprises approximately 500 students from all around New York City. The Birch Wathen Lenox School is one o ...

until 1930. After teaching in the Philippines for a year, he enrolled at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

where he obtained a BA in 1935. After a year at Harvard School of Public Health he entered

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

, graduating there in 1940. Internships took place at

Roosevelt Hospital Mount Sinai West, opened in 1871 as Roosevelt Hospital, is affiliated with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Mount Sinai Health System. The 514-bed facility is located in the Midtown West neighborhood of New York City. The fac ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1941 and 1942. Army service led to academic work on blood products and

onchocerciasis Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, is a disease caused by infection with the parasitic worm ''Onchocerca volvulus''. Symptoms include severe itching, bumps under the skin, and blindness. It is the second-most common cause of blindne ...

(river blindness, a tropical disease).

Boston

He became a research fellow to Fuller Albright at

Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the third oldest general hospital in the United Stat ...

in 1946, and joined the clinical staff in 1950. Albright influenced Bartter significantly in several ways: research was mainly conducted on patients, who were observed very closely for long periods of time, and his interests encompassed many fields. Particular interests were calcium metabolism, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, blood volume and

electrolyte An electrolyte is a medium containing ions that is electrically conducting through the movement of those ions, but not conducting electrons. This includes most soluble salts, acids, and bases dissolved in a polar solvent, such as water. Upon dis ...

physiology, and the actions of

sex steroid Sex hormones, also known as sex steroids, gonadocorticoids and gonadal steroids, are steroid hormones that interact with vertebrate steroid hormone receptors. The sex hormones include the androgens, estrogens, and progestogens. Their effects are ...

s. Significant observations were made in

congenital adrenal hyperplasia Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is a group of autosomal recessive disorders characterized by impaired cortisol synthesis. It results from the deficiency of one of the five enzymes required for the synthesis of cortisol in the adrenal cortex. ...

Bethesda

From 1951 to 1978 Bartter served as Chief of the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

Endocrine-Hypertension Branch. Much of his work here was on

aldosterone Aldosterone is the main mineralocorticoid steroid hormone produced by the zona glomerulosa of the adrenal cortex in the adrenal gland. It is essential for sodium conservation in the kidney, salivary glands, sweat glands, and colon. It plays a c ...

and its effects on the cardiovascular system. He collaborated with numerous researchers, including

Grant Liddle Grant Winder Liddle (June 27, 1921 – June 29, 1989) was an American endocrinologist whose research focused largely on the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. He was a professor at Vanderbilt University and chaired its Department of Medicine f ...

(eponymised in Liddle's syndrome). Investigations in 1957 led to the recognition of SIADH, and his work on aldosterone and the kidney handling of electrolytes led to his description in 1963 of the syndrome that would later bear his name - Bartter syndrome.

Texas

In 1978 he moved, this time to the University of Texas Health Science Center at

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

. Here he continued his work on

hypertension Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...

(high blood pressure) started at Bethesda, and his own hypertension was discovered during the research. He was elected to the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

in 1979, already having received honours by the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the

Endocrine Society The Endocrine Society is a professional, international medical organization in the field of endocrinology and metabolism, founded in 1916 as The Association for the Study of Internal Secretions. The official name of the organization was changed ...

, and numerous other bodies. He collapsed suddenly due to a

cerebral hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...

at an NAS conference, and died soon afterwards. He was married to Jane Lillard and left three children, two sons and a daughter. Since 1986, the

American Society for Bone and Mineral Research The American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) is a professional, scientific and medical society established in 1977 to promote excellence in bone and mineral research and to facilitate the translation of that research into clinical pr ...

has given the Frederic C. Bartter Award for outstanding clinical investigation.American Society of Bone and Mineral Research Annual Bartter Awards
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartter, Frederic 1914 births 1983 deaths American endocrinologists Harvard School of Public Health alumni Harvard Medical School alumni Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences 20th-century American physicians Birch Wathen Lenox School alumni