Ernest Starling
Encyclopedia
Ernest Henry Starling was an English
physiologist. He worked mainly at University College London
, although he also worked for many years in Germany
and France
. His main collaborator in London was his brother-in-law, Sir William Maddock Bayliss
.
Starling is most famous for developing the "Frank–Starling law of the heart", presented in 1915 and modified in 1919. He is also known for his involvement along with Bayliss in the Brown Dog affair
, a controversy relating to vivisection
. In 1891, when he was 25, Starling married Florence Amelia Wooldridge, the widow of Leonard Charles Wooldridge, who had been his physiology teacher at Guy's and died at the age of 32. She was a great support to Starling as a sounding board, secretary, and manager of his affairs as well as mother of their four children.
Other major contributions to physiology were:
Starling was elected fellow of the Royal Society
in 1899.
Two of his great-grandchildren, Boris Starling
(b. 1969) and Belinda Starling (1972–2006) are writers.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
physiologist. He worked mainly at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, although he also worked for many years in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. His main collaborator in London was his brother-in-law, Sir William Maddock Bayliss
William Bayliss
Sir William Maddock Bayliss was an English physiologist.He was born in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire and gained a B.Sc from London University. He graduated MA and DSc in physiology from Wadham College, Oxford....
.
Starling is most famous for developing the "Frank–Starling law of the heart", presented in 1915 and modified in 1919. He is also known for his involvement along with Bayliss in the Brown Dog affair
Brown Dog affair
The Brown Dog affair was a political controversy about vivisection that raged in Edwardian England from 1903 until 1910. It involved the infiltration of University of London medical lectures by Swedish women activists, pitched battles between medical students and the police, police protection for...
, a controversy relating to vivisection
Vivisection
Vivisection is defined as surgery conducted for experimental purposes on a living organism, typically animals with a central nervous system, to view living internal structure...
. In 1891, when he was 25, Starling married Florence Amelia Wooldridge, the widow of Leonard Charles Wooldridge, who had been his physiology teacher at Guy's and died at the age of 32. She was a great support to Starling as a sounding board, secretary, and manager of his affairs as well as mother of their four children.
Other major contributions to physiology were:
- The Starling equationStarling equationThe Starling equation is an equation that illustrates the role of hydrostatic and oncotic forces in the movement of fluid across capillary membranes.Capillary fluid movement may occur as a result of three processes:...
, describing fluid shifts in the body (1896) - The discovery of peristalsisPeristalsisPeristalsis is a radially symmetrical contraction and relaxation of muscles which propagates in a wave down the muscular tube, in an anterograde fashion. In humans, peristalsis is found in the contraction of smooth muscles to propel contents through the digestive tract. Earthworms use a similar...
, with Bayliss - The discovery of secretinSecretinSecretin is a hormone that controls the secretions into the duodenum, and also separately, water homeostasis throughout the body. It is produced in the S cells of the duodenum in the crypts of Lieberkühn...
, the first hormone, with Bayliss (1902) and the introduction of the concept of hormoneHormoneA hormone is a chemical released by a cell or a gland in one part of the body that sends out messages that affect cells in other parts of the organism. Only a small amount of hormone is required to alter cell metabolism. In essence, it is a chemical messenger that transports a signal from one...
s (1905) - The discovery that the distal convoluted tubuleDistal convoluted tubuleThe distal convoluted tubule is a portion of kidney nephron between the loop of Henle and the collecting duct system.- Physiology :It is partly responsible for the regulation of potassium, sodium, calcium, and pH...
of the kidneyKidneyThe kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
reabsorbs water and various electrolytes
Starling was elected fellow of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in 1899.
Two of his great-grandchildren, Boris Starling
Boris Starling
Boris Starling is a British novelist and screenwriter. He was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated with a first in History.-Life:Starling is the great-grandson of the English physiologist Ernest Starling...
(b. 1969) and Belinda Starling (1972–2006) are writers.