Archibald Edward Garrod
| Archibald Garrod | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
25 November 1857 London |
| Died | 28 March 1936 (aged 78) Cambridge |
| Nationality | English |
| Fields | medicine |
| Institutions | University of Oxford |
| Known for | alkaptonuria |
| Notable awards | Fellow of the Royal Society |
Sir Archibald Edward Garrod KCMG FRS (25 November 1857 – 28 March 1936) was an English physician who pioneered the field of inborn errors of metabolism. He also discovered alkaptonuria, understanding its inheritance. He served as Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Oxford from 1920 to 1927.
Brilliancy ran in Garrod’s family. Archibald was the fourth son of Sir Alfred Baring Garrod, a renowned physician who received his medical degree at the age of 23 and became a professor of medicine at University College, London by the time he was 32. He discovered the abnormal uric acid metabolism associated with gout. Garrod’s father also successfully estimated the weight of crystals he obtained from a known quantity of blood, resulting in what Garrod called “the first quantitative biochemical investigation made on the living human body”. Garrod’s two older brothers also had successful careers.
Charles Keene, a cousin, frequently visited Garrod’s childhood home. Keene was a illustrator for the magazine Punch for over 40 years. Influenced by Keene, Garrod wrote an illustrated booklet called A Handbook of Classical Architecture. According to Krishna Dronamraju, Garrod displayed an interest in natural history from an early age and was particularly interested in butterflies. At the age of 12, he began collecting them and noted how few female butterflies were present, musing over possible inheritance patterns in mammals.
He was educated at Marlborough College and Christ Church, University of Oxford. He performed poorly at Marlborough, struggling due to his lack of interest in classics, especially Latin prose and grammar. He graduated with a First-class Honours (or a "First") degree in natural science in 1878.
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