Derek Raymond Bangham FRCP (19 September 1924 – 2 January 2008) was a British doctor and

research scientist A scientist is a person who researches to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosophical study of nature ...

Early life

He was born in Manchester, England on 19 September 1924 and attended The Downs School, near Malvern, where his teachers included

W. H. Auden Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry is noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in tone, ...

, and

Bryanston School Bryanston School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, private boarding school, boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18) located next to the village of Bryanston, and near the ...

. He was declared

medically unfit Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

to serve during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and instead read biological sciences at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

, afterwards attending University College Hospital Medical School.

Career

In 1952, he gave up medical practice to join 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 ...

(NIMR), investigating

parasite Parasitism is a Symbiosis, close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the Host (biology), host, causing it some harm, and is Adaptation, adapted str ...

s. He was promoted to Head of the Division of Biological Standards at the NIMR in 1961. From 1972 to 1987 he was Head of the Hormones Division of the

National Institute for Biological Standards and Control The National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) is a government agency that works in the field of biological standardisation and is part of the United Kingdom's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Medicines an ...

(NIBSC). He was also a member of the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

's European committee on biological standardization, the committee of the

European Pharmacopoeia The ''European Pharmacopoeia'' (''Pharmacopoeia Europaea'', ''Ph. Eur.'') is a major regional pharmacopoeia which provides common quality standards throughout the pharmaceutical industry in Europe to control the quality of Pharmaceutical drug, ...

and the committee of the

British Pharmacopoeia Commission The ''British Pharmacopoeia'' (''BP'') is the national pharmacopoeia of the United Kingdom. It is an annually published collection of quality standards for medicinal substances in the UK, which is used by individuals and organisations involved ...

Personal life

Bangham was an accomplished amateur artist. Two of his paintings are in the collection of the

Royal Free Hospital The Royal Free Hospital (also known as the Royal Free) is a major teaching hospital in the Hampstead area of the London Borough of Camden. The hospital is part of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, which also runs services at Barnet Ho ...

. He died on 2 January 2008. His brother was

Alec Bangham Alec Douglas Bangham FRS (10 November 1921 Manchester – 9 March 2010 Great Shelford) was a British biophysicist who first studied blood clotting mechanisms but became well known for his research on liposomes and his invention of clinically u ...

. Bangham was married to Alison Mary Bangham (née Harington), a fellow doctor who he met at University College Hospital. They were married in 1952.

Awards

* Silver plate of the Society for Endocrinology (1986; the first awarded) for his "distinguished contribution to British endocrinology" * Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians (1981)

Notable works

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bangham, Derek 1924 births 2008 deaths British pharmacologists People educated at The Downs School, Herefordshire Alumni of King's College London Alumni of University College London 20th-century British painters British endocrinologists