Walter Broadbent (4 August 1868 – 17 October 1951) was an English

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

remembered for describing the

Broadbent sign Broadbent sign is a clinical sign in which the 11th and 12th ribs are indrawn during systolic phase of a heartbeat, with narrowing of the intercostal space The intercostal space (ICS) is the anatomic space between two ribs (Lat. costa). Since ...

constrictive pericarditis Constrictive pericarditis is a condition characterized by a thickened, fibrotic pericardium, limiting the heart's ability to function normally. In many cases, the condition continues to be difficult to diagnose and therefore benefits from a good ...

Biography

Walter Broadbent was born in London in 1868, the son of Sir

William Broadbent Sir William Henry Broadbent, 1st Baronet (23 January 1835 – 10 July 1907) was an English neurologist who was a leading British authority in the field of cardiology and neurology. He also performed research involving diseases such as tubercu ...

. He was educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

and

St Mary's Hospital, London St Mary's Hospital is a teaching hospital in Paddington, in the City of Westminster, London, founded in 1845. Since the UK's first academic health science centre was created in 2008, it has been operated by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust ...

. He graduated in 1893. His first paper, published in 1895, described the Broadbent sign. He was consulting physician to the

Royal Sussex County Hospital The Royal Sussex County Hospital is an acute teaching hospital in Brighton, England. Together with the Princess Royal Hospital, it is administered by the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust. The services provided at the hospital inc ...

, to the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, and to the Lady Chichester Hospital for Nervous Diseases at

Hove Hove ( ) is a seaside resort in East Sussex, England. Alongside Brighton, it is one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove. Originally a fishing village surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th century in respon ...

. Iin 1896, he married Edith, daughter of John Monroe, justice of the

High Court of Justice in Ireland The High Court of Justice in Ireland was the court created by the Supreme Court of Judicature Act (Ireland) 1877 to replace the existing court structure in Ireland. Its creation mirrored the reform of the courts of England and Wales five years ...

. They had two sons and two daughters. His grandson George Walter Broadbent, inherited the Broadbent baronetcy as the 4th Baronet. He died at

Henfield Henfield is a large village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Horsham (district), Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies south of London, northwest of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester at ...

, Sussex, at age 83.

References

19th-century English medical doctors 1868 births 1951 deaths People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge 20th-century English medical doctors Younger sons of baronets Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians {{England-med-bio-stub