Burkitt, Denis Parsons

▪ 1994

      Irish physician (b. Feb. 28, 1911, Enniskillen, Northern Ireland—d. March 23, 1993, England), recognized the significance of varying climatic conditions and eating habits in the incidence of cancer and certain other diseases. His most significant medical achievement was in the painstaking study of the cause of and treatment for Burkitt's lymphoma, a lethal cancer of the lymphatic system of high incidence among children in tropical Africa. Outside of medical circles, however, he was best known for his well-publicized theories on nutrition and the importance of a high-fibre diet. Burkitt matriculated at Trinity College, Dublin (B.A., 1933; M.D., 1946), and served as an army doctor during World War II. In 1946 he joined the colonial service in Uganda, where he was a government surgeon, a lecturer in surgery at Makerere University Medical School, and senior surgeon to the Ministry of Health. In the late 1950s he sent out hundreds of questionnaires to doctors and traveled some 16,000 km (10,000 mi) across Africa to study hospital records on a form of malignant facial tumour found mainly in boys under 12. His research demonstrated that Burkitt's lymphoma (as it came to be called) was endemic only in mosquito-ridden equatorial Africa and led to the discovery that the cancer was linked to the presence of the Epstein-Barr virus (the cause of acute infectious mononucleosis) in children whose immune system was depressed by chronic malaria. He later helped develop an effective chemotherapy treatment for the lymphoma. Burkitt joined the Medical Research Council (MRC) in Uganda in 1964, and two years later he transferred to the London MRC centre. In the late 1960s he turned his attention to the apparent link between dietary fibre and colon cancer. His subsequent publications, including the popular book Don't Forget Fibre in Your Diet (1979), triggered a new interest in nutrition and a greater emphasis on fibre in the Western diet.

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▪ British physician

born Feb. 28, 1911, Enniskillen, N.Ire.

died March 23, 1993, England

      British surgeon and medical researcher.

      Burkitt graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, in 1933 and earned his medical degree there in 1946 after serving as a doctor in the British army during World War II. In 1946 he joined the British colonial service in Uganda, where he was a government surgeon. In 1957 Burkitt became interested in a lethal cancer of the lymphatic system with a high incidence among children. After a wide-ranging study of hospital and physicians' records across the continent, he was able to demonstrate that Burkitt's lymphoma (Burkitt lymphoma) (as it is now known) commonly occurs only in mosquito-ridden parts of equatorial Africa, in regions where malaria and yellow fever are also endemic. This research suggested that some insect vector was the carrier of an infectious agent responsible for the disease. Burkitt's research led to the discovery that the lymphoma is linked to the presence of the Epstein-Barr virus (the cause of acute infectious mononucleosis) in children whose immune system is depressed by chronic malaria. Burkitt later helped develop an effective chemotherapy treatment for the lymphoma.

      Aside from his work in tropical medicine, Burkitt was best known to the general public for his theory that a high-fibre diet helps protect against colon cancer and other diseases. His book Don't Forget Fibre in Your Diet (1979) helped trigger public interest in maintaining adequate levels of fibre in daily nutrition.

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