James Francis Tait (1926-2014) was an English physicist and endocrinologist. He worked with his wife,

Sylvia Agnes Sophia Tait Sylvia Agnes Sophia Tait (8 January 1917 – 28 February 2003) (''née'' Wardropper, known as Sylvia Simpson from 1941 to 1956) was an English biochemist and endocrinologist. She worked with her second husband, James Francis Tait, from 1948 u ...

from 1948 until her death in 2003, a partnership described by the

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

as "one of the most successful examples of husband-wife collaboration." Together, they discovered and identified the

hormone A hormone (from the Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs by complex biological processes to regulate physiology and behavior. Hormones are required ...

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 ...

Early life

Tait was born in

Stockton on Tees Stockton-on-Tees, often simply referred to as Stockton, is a market town in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham, England. It is on the northern banks of the River Tees, part of the Teesside built-up area. The town had an estimated ...

in 1926, the son of Herbert and Constance Tait (née Brotherton). His parents ran a small grocery shop, but his father died when he was 10. Tait attended Darlington Queen Elizabeth 1 Grammar School, where he took

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

Chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

, Maths and

English Literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

for the Higher School Certificate. He went to

Leeds University , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

to read Physics, graduating in 1945. He joined Whiddington's research group at Leeds. completing his PhD thesis entitled ''The energy distribution of

electrons The electron ( or ) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary electric charge. Electrons belong to the first generation of the lepton particle family, and are generally thought to be elementary particles because they have no ...

discharge tubes A gas-filled tube, also commonly known as a discharge tube or formerly as a Plücker tube, is an arrangement of electrodes in a gas within an insulating, temperature-resistant envelope. Gas-filled tubes exploit phenomena related to electric d ...

'' in 1947.

Career

Tait joined the department of medical physics at Middlesex Hospital Medical School, London, as a lecturer, where he started to work on adrenal

steroid A steroid is a biologically active organic compound with four rings arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter membrane fluidity; and a ...

s, building on work by Ralph Dorfman. They went on to discover a biologically active compound that they called electrocortin (later renamed

) in collaboration with Swiss chemist Tadeus Reichstein who had received the

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

for similar work on

cortisol Cortisol is a steroid hormone, in the glucocorticoid class of hormones. When used as a medication, it is known as hydrocortisone. It is produced in many animals, mainly by the ''zona fasciculata'' of the adrenal cortex in the adrenal gland ...

. The discovery was published in 1952. In 1958, the Taits moved to the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, where they worked with

Gregory Pincus Gregory Goodwin Pincus (April 9, 1903 – August 22, 1967) was an American biologist and researcher who co-invented the combined oral contraceptive pill. Early life Gregory Goodwin Pincus was born in Woodbine, New Jersey to Jewish parents, who we ...

. Tait developed mathematical methods to calculate hormone secretion rates from changes in the ratio of radioactively labelled to unlabelled

urine Urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in humans and in many other animals. Urine flows from the kidneys through the ureters to the urinary bladder. Urination results in urine being excretion, excreted from the body through the urethra. Cel ...

. This developed into a new field of study – hormone dynamics. Tait undertook periods of leave at the

Physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

Department at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

in Australia and at the

Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, more commonly known as the Florey Institute, is an Australian medical research institute that undertakes clinical and applied research into treatments for brain and mind disorders and the ...

at UM. Following Pincus' death, Tait became joint chairman of the scientific council of the Worcester Foundation. In 1970, the Taits returned to the Middlesex Hospital as joint heads of the

Biophysical Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies approaches and methods traditionally used in physics to study biological phenomena. Biophysics covers all scales of biological organization, from molecular to organismic and populations. Bi ...

Endocrinology Endocrinology (from '' endocrine'' + '' -ology'') is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions known as hormones. It is also concerned with the integration of developmental event ...

Unit. Tait was also Joel Professor of Physics as Applied to Medicine. They worked on adrenal

zona glomerulosa The ''zona glomerulosa'' (sometimes, glomerular zone) of the adrenal gland is the most superficial layer of the adrenal cortex, lying directly beneath the renal capsule. Its cells are ovoid and arranged in clusters or arches (''glomus'' is Latin ...

cells. The Taits retired in 1982 and moved to East Boldre where they continued their scientific research using two Apple IIe computers running in parallel. In 2003, a scientific meeting was organised in London to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the discovery of Aldosterone, but Sylvia died shortly beforehand and Tait was undergoing

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

treatment in the

Royal Bournemouth Hospital The Royal Bournemouth Hospital is an acute general hospital in Bournemouth, Dorset, England. It is managed by the University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust. The hospital was managed by The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS ...

. Tait subsequently moved to

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...

and continued his scientific interests and writing. He authored or co-authored over 150 scientific papers during his career. Tait died in Harrogate hospital on 2 February 2014.

Awards and honours

* Tait and his wife were both elected Fellows of The Royal Society in 1959.Vinson, Gavin P.; Coghlan, John P. (2018). "James Francis Tait. 1 December 1925 – 2 February 2014". '' Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society''. doi:10.1098/rsbm.2018.0015 They were only the second married couple to become FRSs (after

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

and

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Albert, Prince Consort (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Albert I of Belgium ...

) and the first married couple to be elected on the same day for their joint scientific achievements. * Society for Endocrinology Medal 1969 * Tadeus Reichstein Award of the International Endocrine Society 1976 * Gregory Pincus Memorial Medal 1977 * Ciba Ward, Council for

High Blood Pressure 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 ...

1977 * Dale Medal,

Society for Endocrinology The Society for Endocrinology is an international membership organisation and registered charity representing scientists, clinicians and nurses who work with hormones. The Society was established in 1946, and currently has approximately 2,500 mem ...

1979 * Honorary D.Sc.

University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hull ...

1979 * The R Douglas Wright Lecture and Medallion 1989

References

Sources

* A quarter of Unlikely Discoveries Sylvia As Tait and Tames F Tait 2004 Athena Press. * ''Brain drain couple to return'' The Times,London, 2 June 1970, * ''Husband and wife amongst top medical scientists in country'' Lymington Times 15 March 2003 * Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology Vol 217, Nos 1–2, pp 1–270 March 31, 2004. Special Issue Proceedings of the 2003 International Symposium on Aldosterone. * The Independent newspaper Obituary 22 February 2014 John P Coghlan and Gavin Vinson * ''Royal Society honour husband and wife'' The Times, London 20 March 1959 {{DEFAULTSORT:Tait, James 1926 births 2014 deaths Alumni of the University of Leeds British endocrinologists Fellows of the Royal Society People from Stockton-on-Tees