Denis Burkitt
| Denis Parsons Burkitt | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 February 1911 Enniskillen |
| Died | 23 March 1993 (aged 82) Gloucester |
| Nationality | United Kingdom |
| Fields | Surgeon |
| Known for | Burkitt's lymphoma, Cancer |
| Notable awards |
Charles S. Mott Prize (1982) Buchanan Medal (1992) Fellow of the Royal Society |
Denis Parsons Burkitt FRS(28 February 1911 – 23 March 1993), surgeon, was born in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Ireland. He was the son of James Parsons Burkitt. Aged eleven he lost his right eye in an accident. He attended Portora Royal School in Enniskillen and Dean Close School, England. In 1929 Burkitt entered Trinity College, Dublin, to study engineering but believing his evangelical calling was to be a doctor he transferred to medicine. In 1938 he passed the Edinburgh Royal College of Surgeons fellowship examinations. On 28 July 1943 he married Olive Rogers.
During World War II, Burkitt served with the Royal Army Medical Corps in England and later in Kenya and Somaliland. After the war Burkitt decided his future lay in medical service in the developing world and he moved to Uganda. He eventually settled in Kampala and remained there until 1964.
Burkitt made two major contributions to medical science related to his experience in Africa. The first was the description, distribution, and ultimately, the etiology of a pediatric cancer that bears his name Burkitt's lymphoma.
Burkitt in 1957 observed a child with swellings in the angles of the jaw. "About two weeks later...I looked out the window and saw another child with a swollen face...and began to investigate these jaw tumors". 'Having an intensely enquiring mind, Burkitt took the details of these cases to the records department...which showed that jaw tumours were common, [and] were often associated with other tumours at unusual sites' in children in Uganda. He kept copious notes and concluded that these apparently different childhood cancers were all manifestations of a single type of malignancy. Burkitt published A sarcoma involving the jaws of African children. The newly identified cancer became known as 'Burkitt's lymphoma. He went on to map the geographical distribution of the tumour. Burkitt, together with Dr Dennis Wright, published a book titled 'Burkitt's Lymphoma' in April 1970.
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