David James Purslove Barker (29 June 1938 – 27 August 2013) was an English physician and epidemiologist and originator of the Barker Hypothesis that foetal and early infant conditions have a permanent conditioning effect on the body's metabolism and chronic conditions later in life.Cooper C (2013
David Barker 1938–2013

Nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...

502(7471), 304.Pincock S (2013
David Barker

The Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal and one of the oldest of its kind. It is also the world's highest-impact academic journal. It was founded in England in 1823. The journal publishes original research articles, ...

382(9899), 1170. He was born in London the son of Hugh Barker, an engineer, and Joye, a concert cellist. At

Oundle School Oundle School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for pupils 11–18 situated in the market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire, England. The school has been governed by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City ...

, he developed an interest in Natural History and was given special access to the biology classrooms to study his finds. The

Natural History Museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more. ...

later asked him to mount an expedition to collect plant specimens from the Icelandic offshore island of Grimsey.Cooper C (2013
David Barker Obituary

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Wednesday 11 September 2013. He studied medicine at

Guy's Hospital Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre. ...

, London, but maintained his interest in Natural History, and had his first paper published in

in 1961. After qualifying in 1962, he became a research fellow in the department of social medicine at

Birmingham University , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

. In 1969, with a grant from the Medical Research Council, Barker moved with his family to Uganda, to research

Mycobacterium ulcerans ''Mycobacterium ulcerans'' is a species of bacteria found in various aquatic environments. The bacteria can infect humans and some other animals, causing persistent open wounds called Buruli ulcer. ''M. ulcerans'' is closely related to '' Mycob ...

infection ("Buruli ulcer"), demonstrating that it was caused, not by mosquitos, but by wounds caused by the razor-sharp reeds growing near the River Nile. He returned to England and in 1979 was appointed professor of clinical epidemiology at the

University of Southampton , mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour , type = Public research university , established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...

medical school, and in 1984 director of the Medical Research Council Environmental Epidemiology Unit, now the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit. There he made the observations on the geographical relationship between neonatal and post-neonatal mortality and heart disease. He won the

GlaxoSmithKline Prize The GlaxoSmithKline Prize and Lecture is awarded by the Royal Society of London The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of scienc ...

in 1994 for this work. Barker was elected as a Fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

and a Fellow of the

Academy of Medical Sciences The Academy of Medical Sciences is an organisation established in the UK in 1998. It is one of the four UK National Academies, the others being the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society. Its mission is to adv ...

in 1998 and was appointed a

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 2006. He married twice; firstly to Angela, with whom he had three sons and two daughters, and secondly to Jan.

References

External links

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, Vasilios Fanos V. David Barker: the revolution that anticipates existence'', « Journal of Pediatric and Neonatal Individualized Medicine». 2014;3(1), pp. 1/3-3/3; http://www.jpnim.com/index.php/jpnim/article/view/030111 1938 births 2013 deaths Medical doctors from London People educated at Oundle School British epidemiologists 20th-century English medical doctors Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom) Commanders of the Order of the British Empire {{England-med-bio-stub