David James Purslove Barker | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1938-06-29)29 June 1938 |
| Died | 27 August 2013(2013-08-27) (aged 75) |
| Known for | Barker Hypothesis |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Epidemiology |
| Institutions | University of Southampton |
David James Purslove BarkerCBE FRS FMedSci (29 June 1938 – 27 August 2013) was an English physician and epidemiologist and originator of theBarker Hypothesis that foetal and early infant conditions have a permanent conditioning effect on the body's metabolism and chronic conditions later in life.[1][2]
He was born in London the son of Hugh Barker, an engineer, and Joye, a concert cellist. AtOundle School, he developed an interest in Natural History and was given special access to the biology classrooms to study his finds. TheNatural History Museum later asked him to mount an expedition to collect plant specimens from the Icelandic offshore island ofGrimsey.[3]
He studied medicine atGuy's Hospital, London, but maintained his interest in Natural History, and had his first paper published inNature in 1961. After qualifying in 1962, he became a research fellow in the department of social medicine atBirmingham University. In 1969, with a grant from theMedical Research Council, Barker moved with his family to Uganda, to researchMycobacterium ulcerans 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.[3]
He returned to England and in 1979 was appointed professor of clinical epidemiology at theUniversity of Southampton medical school, and in 1984 director of theMedical 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.[4] He won theGlaxoSmithKline Prize in 1994 for this work.
Barker was elected as a Fellow of theRoyal Society[5] and a Fellow of theAcademy of Medical Sciences in 1998 and was appointed aCBE in 2006.[3]
He married twice; firstly to Angela, with whom he had three sons and two daughters, and secondly to Jan.[citation needed]
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