Sir Charles Herbert Stuart-Harris (born Harris; 12 July 1909 – 23 February 1996) was an English virologist and academic who was the first full-time professor of medicine at

University of Sheffield The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public university, public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Fir ...

Early life and education

Stuart-Harris was born in 1909 in

Kings Norton Kings Norton, alternatively King's Norton, is an area of Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in Worcestershire, it was also a Birmingham City Council war ...

, the son of a Birmingham general practitioner Charles Herbert Harris and his wife, Helen Parsons.

Career

In 1935, he received a £55 a year fellowship from the bequest of Sir

Henry Royce Sir Frederick Henry Royce, 1st Baronet (27 March 1863 – 22 April 1933) was an English engineer famous for his designs of car and aeroplane engines with a reputation for reliability and longevity. With Charles Rolls (1877–1910) and Claude J ...

(of Rolls-Royce) to conduct research at the

National Institute for Medical Research The National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), was a medical research institute based in Mill Hill, on the outskirts of north London, England. It was funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC); In 2016, the NIMR became part of the new F ...

into the cause and cure of

influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...

. The following year he went to the United States on a Rockefeller scholarship. In World War II he served in the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) was a specialist corps in the British Army which provided medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. On 15 November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army De ...

in Europe and the Far East, commanding field laboratories, ending with the rank of colonel and showing an early acumen in the diagnosis of infective diseases. He himself contracted some of those diseases he studied, notably

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposu ...

and

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often ther ...

. When he was appointed to the chair at Sheffield in 1946 the shortlist included George White Pickering and Robert Platt who respectively became regius professor of medicine and master of Pembroke College at Oxford and professor of medicine at Manchester and president of the Royal College of Physicians. At Sheffield, Stuart-Harris carried out research into

poliomyelitis Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

and

viruses (the oral polio vaccine underwent its first trials at Sheffield) and set up a major research and epidemiological unit to investigate respiratory illnesses. He identified the difference between influenza and the common cold, showing that several strains of influenza virus existed and that vaccination against one was not necessarily proof against another.

Awards and honours

He was honoured with a C.B.E. in 1961 and a knighthood in 1970. In 1984 he received the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy's Garrod Medal and delivered its accompanying lecture. After retirement he served as postgraduate dean for five years and adviser to the new Chinese medical school in Hong Kong. He was survived by his wife, Marjorie, a daughter and two sons (one a professor of oncology in Australia).

Selected publications

His publications include: *''Influenza and Other Virus Infections of the Respiratory Tract'', Edward Arnold & Co (1953) *''Medicine Today and the Role of Science in Medical Education (Wade foundation lecture)'', University of Southampton RGSE (1972) *''The Contribution of Virology to Contemporary Medicine: The Harveian Oration of 1974'', Creative Press (1975) *''Influenza: The Viruses and the Disease'', Hodder & Stoughton Ltd (1976)Amazon website
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stuart-Harris, Charles Herbert 1909 births 1996 deaths British virologists Academics of the University of Sheffield Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Knights Bachelor