In this interview Sir Stanley Peart talks about his time as professor of medicine at St Mary's Medical School 1956-1987. First, he outlines the medical unit's research on the substances released by tumours - early work on phaeochromocytomas and observations on the mechanism behind flushing in those with carcinoid syndrome - and acknowledges the contribution of his colleagues James Robertson, Jehoiada Brown, and David Grahame-Smith to this work. The interview moves on to research into blood pressure, the main strand of the unit's research during Sir Stanley's time there. He speaks of the unit's research on the link between renal artery stenosis and high blood pressure here; his collaboration with Charles Rob (professor of surgery at St Mary's) on diagnosis, David Sutton's use of arteriography, and Tony Lever and James Robertson's work on renin and angiotensin. The unit's increasing ability to attract international researchers, international developments in hypertension research, and Sir Stanley's links with the Western Ophthalmic Hospital and the contribution of this work to research on blood pressure are also summarised. Next, Sir Stanley reflects on his love of treating and communicating with patients: the importance of listening to the patient in reaching a diagnosis, understanding their use of language, and the dangers of time constraints and over-specialisation. A discussion of the ethics of using patients for research, the need for open debate about such issues within a hospital or medical school community follows, and the difficulty of admitting mistakes in a climate of legalised audit follows. Innovations in the treatment of patients with renal failure - Roy Calne's work on renal transplantation, and the development of long-term peritoneal dialysis (with James Mowbray) and haemodialysis at St Mary's - are then discussed. The interview ends with Sir Stanley looking back on the successful careers of many of his research fellows, and the challenge of leading an effective research team as a busy professor of medicine.
Medical unit at St Mary's 1956-1987; substances released by tumours; James Robertson; Jehoiada Brown; David Grahame-Smith; blood pressure; renal artery stenosis; Charles Rob; David Sutton; ophthalmology and blood pressure; communication with patients; ethics of research on patients; renal failure; Roy Calne and transplantation; peritoneal dialysis and haemodialysis
Nephrology, Research, Research ethics,
vid-163, MSVA_111
Permanent link to this resource: https://doi.org/10.24384/000056
Peart, StanleyBlythe, Max
Learning Resources
Original artefact: 1995 RADAR resource: 2017
Oxford, UK
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