William Morrant Baker brmedj08817-0085-a

William Morrant Baker (20 October 1839,

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia *Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Andove ...

, Hampshire, England – 3 October 1896,

Pulborough Pulborough is a large village and civil parish in the Horsham district of West Sussex, England, with some 5,000 inhabitants. It is located almost centrally within West Sussex and is south west of London. It is at the junction of the north–sout ...

, Sussex) was an English physician and surgeon. He first described the condition now known as

Baker's cyst A Baker's cyst, also known as a popliteal cyst, is a type of fluid collection behind the knee. Often there are no symptoms. If symptoms do occur these may include swelling and pain behind the knee, or knee stiffness. If the cyst breaks open, pain ...

Life

William Morrant Baker was the son of a solicitor in the

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

town of Andover. He was apprenticed to the local

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

, Mr. Payne. In 1858 he entered St. Bartholomew's Hospital Medical School in London and qualified in 1861. Baker became Sir

James Paget Sir James Paget, 1st Baronet FRS HFRSE (11 January 1814 – 30 December 1899) (, rhymes with "gadget") was an English surgeon and pathologist who is best remembered for naming Paget's disease and who is considered, together with Rudolf Virch ...

's assistant for many years. From 1869 until 1885, he was lecturer in general

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...

and

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 ...

at St. Bartholomew's Hospital. He was elected an assistant surgeon to the hospital in 1871 and a surgeon in 1882. He resigned his post as surgeon in 1892 due to his own

locomotor ataxia Locomotor ataxia is the inability to precisely control one's own bodily movements. __TOC__ Disease People afflicted with this disease may walk in a jerky, non-fluid manner. They will not know where their arms and legs are without looking (i.e. a f ...

condition. He was then appointed a governor of the hospital. Baker was also surgeon, later consultant surgeon, to the

Evelina Children's Hospital Evelina London Children's Hospital is a specialist NHS hospital in London. It is administratively a part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and provides teaching hospital facilities for London South Bank University and King's College ...

, London and was examinator of general anatomy and physiology at the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...

Work

He wrote a number of articles on bone and joint problems. He became regarded as an expert in

renal 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 ...

surgery, particularly nephrolithomy. He first described the knee joint problem

which is named after him, as are Baker's cannula, a flexible tracheal

cannula A cannula (; Latin meaning 'little reed'; plural or ) is a tube that can be inserted into the body, often for the delivery or removal of fluid or for the gathering of samples. In simple terms, a cannula can surround the inner or outer surfaces ...

and Baker's disease a defect of the periarticular

ligament A ligament is the fibrous connective tissue that connects bones to other bones. It is also known as ''articular ligament'', ''articular larua'', ''fibrous ligament'', or ''true ligament''. Other ligaments in the body include the: * Peritoneal li ...

s. Baker's other major contribution was his original description in 1873 of a kind of infective

dermatitis Dermatitis is inflammation of the skin, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened. The area of skin involved can v ...

known today as

erysipeloid In humans, '' Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae'' infections most commonly present in a mild cutaneous form known as erysipeloid or fish poisoning. ''E. rhusiopathiae'' can cause an indolent cellulitis, more commonly in individuals who handle fish and ...

Bibliography

*''Handbook of Physiology'' by William Senhouse Kirkes (1823–1864). (Editor) *''Statistics of cancer.'' Transactions of the Medico-Chirurgical Society of London, Vol. XIV. *''Erythema serpens.'' St. Bartholomew's Hospital Reports, 1873, 9: 198–211. on Rosenbach's

. *''The formation of abnormal synovial cysts in connection with the joints.'' II. Saint Bartholomew's Hospital Reports, London, 1885; 21: 177–190. On Baker's cyst. *''Baker's cyst: formation of abnormal synovial cysts in connection with joints. Medical Classics, 1941; 5: 805–820.

References

William Morrant Baker
Biography at Whonamedit.com. Accessed January 2008

Accessed January 2008
Baker, William Morrant
Entry at Merriam Websters Medical Dictionary. Accessed January 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, William Morrant 1839 births 1896 deaths 19th-century English medical doctors Alumni of the Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital Academics of the Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital People from Andover, Hampshire