Sir Thomas Lauder Brunton


1844 - 1916

Clinical pharmacologist. Born in Roxburgh, Brunton studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and then travelled overseas before returning to London, where he was to establish his reputation. He did much to establish a rigorous scientific basis for pharmacology and identified relationship between high blood pressure and angina pectoris. He also discovered that Amyl Nitrite relieved angina and the beneficial effects of Digitalis on the stressed heart, both described in his Collected Papers on Circulation and Respiration (1906).

He died in London and is buried in Highgate Cemetery. There is a memorial in Bowden in the Scottish Borders, designed by Sir Robert Lorimer (1864 - 1929).


Use the tabs on the right of this page to see other parts of this entry arrow

If you have found this information useful please consider making
a donation to help maintain and improve this resource. More info...

By using our site you agree to accept cookies, which help us serve you better