Dent, Charles Enrique (1911-1976)

The vast majority of the material relates to Dent’s research and clinical interests and falls into four main categories: correspondence files; files created around the publication of papers; lecture notes and symposium papers; and case/research notes. There are also smaller quantities dealing with other aspects of his career, such as the administration of UCH Metabolic Ward.

The papers thus reflect most of Dent’s scientific and clinical interests. This research is mainly represented by the abstracted documentation which he kept with drafts of his published papers (see section E.1) and also by correspondence about cases and clinical case notes (see section C.5). To a lesser degree they also illustrate the work at the laboratory bench which underpinned much of this research. For example, a file of unidentified paper chromatograms has been preserved (C.2/10) to illustrate one of Dent’s methods of working, as described by his colleague, Heathcote, and quoted in the Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, 1978: ‘Paper chromatograms were not to be thrown away. They were filed and, since the colours faded, the outline of each spot was drawn in and the intensity of the colour was indicated by a number.’

The way in which Dent compiled a large series of files around drafts of scientific papers also illustrates the importance of the published paper to him as a stage in the research process. In order to help make sense of the collection, a list of publications is therefore provided as a note to this collection description. An incomplete collection of reprints of Dent’s published papers may be found in section E.2 of the collection.

The collection is divided into sections as follows:

A: Correspondence (comprising A: 1, General correspondence, and A: 2, Themed correspondence):

B: Official posts and activities (comprising B.1, UCH Medical School, and B.2, Other).

C: Research and clinical records (comprising C.1, Rat experiments; C.2, Experimental notes; C.3, Research projects and subject files; C.4, Diaries; and C.5, Case files).

D: Lectures, conferences and visits.

E: Published papers (comprising E.1, Drafts and supporting material, and E.2, Reprints).

Charles Henrique Dent was born in 1911. Having begun his scientific career as a chemist, Dent qualified in medicine in 1944 and then began to work on disorders of amino-acid metabolism, being an early pioneer of the technique of paper chromatography for the analysis of body fluids. He developed both chromatographic and chemical tests for metabolic disorders and was instrumental in defining a number of new amino acid diseases. Another associated early interest was in metabolic bone diseases such as rickets and osteomalacia. These concerns broadened over his career to include the cause and treatment of many conditions such as hyperparathyroidism, renal stone formation, sarcoidosis and various malabsorption syndromes. A continuing interest in genetics accompanied the study and treatment of all these conditions as many were shown to be hereditary. Several are also associated with mental deficiency.

An outline of Dent's life follows:

1911: born in Burgos, Spain (family normally resident in Singapore)

1915: family moved to England. Educated at Bedford School and Wimbledon College (exact dates unknown).

1927: left school to work in a bank; subsequently left, obtained a post as a laboratory technician and studied at evening classes at Regent Street Polytechnic.

1930: became a Chemistry student at Imperial College, London.

1931/2: BSc, Chemistry.

1934: PhD on copper phthalocyanin (later marketed by ICI as 'Monastral Blue'). Went to work for ICI Dyestuffs Group in Manchester.

1937: entered Univeristy College, London, as a medical student.

1939-1945: war service in France and as a consultant in chemistry in the scientific department of British censorship (as a specialist in secret writing), including service in Bermuda and the USA.

1943: awarded FRIC

1944: qualified in medicine and became house physician to Sir Thomas Lewis at UCL. Married Margaret Ruth Coad.

1945: became Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians. Appointed Assistant to the Medical Unit at UCH Medical School under Sir Harold Himsworth. Went to the recently liberated concentration camp at Belsen as part of the MRC study group; studied the treatment of starvation by amino-acid mixtures.

1946-1947: Rockefeller scholarship - studied in Rochester, NY, USA. Post-war research, initially in the field of amino-acid metabolism. Pioneer in the field of partition chromatography for the study of biological fluids; developed methods of random testing for metobolic disorders. Defined new amino-acid diseases such as various forms of Fanconi syndrome, Hartnup disease, argininosuccinic aciduria and homocystinuria.

1949: awarded MD.

1951: persuaded University College Hospital, London, to establish a metabolic ward with beds, laboratories and outpatient clinics. Appointed Reader in medicine. Research interests broadened to include the study of clinical disorders of calcium and phosphorus metabolism, vitamin D deficiency and the action of parathyroid; increasing emphasis on the clinical side of his work, rather than laboratory science

1954: became Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians.

1956: appointed Professor of Human Metabolism.

1962: appointed Fellow of the Royal Society.

1976: awarded CBE. Died, September.

On arrival the papers fell into four main categories: correspondence files; files created around the publication of papers; lecture notes and symposium papers; and case/research notes. Although on arrival the papers were not exclusively arranged according to these categories, sufficiently large quantities were found to be grouped together along such lines that this justified the choice of these for the final arrangement of the collection, and any unsorted files were amalgamated with the main sequences during cataloguing. Almost all the papers were found to be in clearly marked files and these have been kept intact. All file titles in the list are original, unless indicated by the use of square brackets.

Dent organised his papers using his published papers as a framework and for ease of comprehension a list of these is appended:

"Discussion on the physiology and treatment of starvation", Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1945

"Detection of amino-acids in urine and other fluids", Lancet, 1946

"Porphyrinuria in rats fed oxidised-casein", with C. Rimington, Biochemical Journal, 1947

"The cystine and methionine contents of liver protein in acute hepatic necrosis", Biochemical Journal, 1947

"The amino-aciduria in Faconi syndrome", Biochemical Journal, 1947

"Studies on the mechanism of the Fanconi syndrome", with J.M. Stowers, Quarterly Journal of Medicine,1947

"Methionine metabolism and µ -aminobutyric acid", Science, 1947

"Application of filter paper partition chromatography to radioactive tracer studies", Nature, with R.M. Fink & K. Fink, 1947

"Detection of the free amino-acids of plant cells by partition chromatography", with W. Stepka & F.C. Steward, Nature, 1947

"A study of the behaviour of some sixty amino-acids and other ninhydrin-reacting substances on phenol- "colidine" filter paper chromatograms, with notes as to the recurrence of some of them in biological fluids", Biochemical Journal, 1948

"Studies on the absorption of proteins: the amino-acid pattern in the portal blood", with J.A. Schilling, Biochemical Journal, 1949

"¡ -aminobutyric acid, a constituent of the potato tuber", with F.C. Steward and J.F. Thompson, Science, 1949

"Hypophosphataemic glycosuric rickets", Clinical Proceedings, 1949

"The Bence-Jones protein of multiple myelomatosis: its methionine content and its possible significance in relation to the aetiology of the disease", with G.A. Rose, Biochemical Journal, 1949

"Applications to study of amino-acid and protein metabolism", Biochemical Society Symposia, 1949

"Distinctive test for µ -amino-acids in paper chromatography", with H.R. Crumpler, Nature, 1949

"The amino-acid pattern in human foetal and maternal plasma at delivery", with H.R. Crumpler and O. Lindan, Biochemical Journal, 1950

"Der Aminosäurostoffwechsel, Schwiez. med. Wschr, 1950

"Distinctive test for µ -aminoacids in paper chromotoraph", with H.R. Crumpler, Nature, 1949

"An apparatus for the simultaneous production of many two-dimensional paper chromatograms", with S.P. Datta and H. Harris, Science, 1950

"Medical applications of paper partition chromatography", Advancement of Science, 1950

"Ethanolaminuria. An obscure metabolic defect associated with a case of primary hepatoma", with D. Fowler and J.M. Walshe, Biochemical Journal, 1951

"b -Aminoisobutyric acid (methyl-b -alanine): a new amino-acid obtained from human urine", with H.R. Crumpler, H. Harris and R.G. Westall, Nature, 1951

"Plasma-cystine levels in cystinuria", with D. Fowler, Harris and Warren, Lancet, 1952

"The genetics of cystinuria", with H. Harris, Ann. Eugen., 1951

"Amino-acid metabolism in cystinuria, with G.A. Rose, Quarterly Journal of Medicine,1951

"Rickets and osteomalacia from renal tubule defects, with P.M.F. Bishop and R. de Mowbray, J. Bone Jt. Surg., 1952

"Physiology of the parathyroid glands", Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1953

"Chromatography in the study of amino-acid metabolism", Journal of the Royal Institute of Chemists, 1953

"Amino-aciduria in lead poisoning", with V.K. Wilson & M.L. Thompson, Lancet, 1953

"Primary carcinoma of the liver: description of a case with ethanolaminuria, a new and obscure metabolic defect", with J.M. Walshe, British Journal of Cancer, 1953

"Hypercalcaemia and impairment of renal function in generalized sarcoidosis", with F.V. Flynn and J.N. Nabarro, British Medical Journal, 1953

"Ethanolaminuria, a new and obscure metabolic defect", with J.M. Walshe, Metabolism, 1954

"Xanthinuria. An inborn error (or deviation) of metabolism", with G.E. Philpot, Lancet, 1954

"Paper-chromatographic analysis of Dakin"s samples of `b -hydroxyglutamic acid", Biochemical Journal, 1954

"The renal amino-acidurias", Expl. Med. Surg., 1954

"The determination of the optical configuration of naturally occurring amino-acids using specific enzymes and paper chromatography", with E. Bonetti, Biochemical Journal, 1954

Comment on "Sarcoidosis, hypercalcaemia and renal impairment, Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1954

"Idiopathic osteoporosis. Symptomatic relief by plasma infusions", with J. Anderson), Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1954

"The pathogensis of cystinuria. Chromatographic and microbiological studies of the metabolism of sulphur-containing amino-acids", with J.G. Heathcote and G.E. Joron, J. Clin. .st., 1954

"The pathogenesis of cystinuria. Polarographic studies of the metabolism of sulphur-containing amino-acids", with B. Senior and J.M. Walshe, J. Clin. .st., 1954

"Effect of cortisone on calcium metabolism in sarcoidosis with hypercalcaemia. Possibly antagonistic actions of cortisone and vitamin D", with J. Anderson, C.M. Harper and G.R. Philpot, Lancet, 1954

"Radiological changes associated with certain metabolic bone diseases". with C.J. Hobson, British Journal of Radiology, 1954

"Amino-acid metabolism", with J.M. Walshe, British Medical Bulletin, 1954

"Osteosclerosis associated with chronic renal failure", with T. Crawford, P. Lucas, N.H. Martin and J.R. Nassim), Lancet, 1954

"The excretion of phosphoethanolamine and hypophosphatasia", with R.A. McCance and A.B. Morrison, Lancet, 1955

"The amino-aciduria in galaltosaemia", with D.C. Cusworth and F.V. Flynn, Archives of Disease in Childhood, 1955

"How to make decalcified milk", Helv. paediat. Acta, 1955

"Discussion on osteoporosis", with H.A. Sissons and P. Fourman, Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1955

"Secondary hyperparathyroidism. Comment", Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1955

"Calcium metabolism in idiopathic hypercalcaemia of infancy with failure to thrive", with R.E. Bonham Carter, D.I. Fowler & C.M. Harper, Archives of Disease in Childhood, 1955

"Insensitivity to vitamin D developing during the treatment of post-operative tetany. Its specificity as regards the form of vitamin D taken", with C.M. Harper, M.E. Morgans, G.R. Philpot and W.R. Trotter, Lancet, 1955

"Studies on the treatment of cystinuria", with B. Senior, British Journal of Urology, 1955

"Hereditary forms of rickets and osteomalacia", with H. Harris, J. Bone Surg., 1956

"Hereditary pellagra-like skin rash with temporary cerebellar ataxia, constant renal amino-aciduria and other bizarre biochemical features", with D.N. Baron, H. Harris, E.W. Hart and J.B. Jepson, Lancet, 1956

"Surgical aspects of disordered calcium metabolism", with L.N. Pyrah & H.H. Stewart, Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1956

"Parathyroid adenoma with hyperparathyroidism developing in a case of lifelong steatorrhoea", Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1956

"Hyperparathyroidism and steatorrhoea", with D.R. Davies and A. Wilcox, British Medical Journal, 1956

"Discussion on generalized aches and pains from metabolic bone disease", with F.H. Lumb & G.A. Rose, Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1957

Foreward to symposium on "Inborn errors of metabolism", An. J. Med., 1957

"Clinical applications of amino-acid chromatography", Scand. J. clin., 1958

"A disease, probably hereditary, characterized by severe mental deficiency and a constant gross abnormality of amino-acid metabolism", with G. Alan, D.C. Cusworth & V.K. Wilson, Lancet, 1958

"Hypoparathyroid tetany (following thyroidectomy) apparently resistant to vitamin D", with C.M. Harper, Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1958

"Chromatography in clinical paediatrics", Paediactrics for the Practitioner, 1958

"La Cystinuria", "Recipe", 1959

"Argininosuccinic aciduria. A new form of mental deficiency due to metabolic causes", Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1959

"Medical aspects of primary hyperparathyroidism", Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1959

"Skin changes in hypocalcaemia", with M. Garretts, Lancet, 1960

"Renal clearances of amino-acids in normal adults and in patients with amino-aciduria", with D.C. Cusworth, Biochemical Journal, 1960

"Hypophosphatasia in the adult", with J.E. Bethune, An. J. Med., 1960

"Inborn errors of tubular function", with D.C. Cusworth, Biology of Pyelonephritis, (ed. E.L. Quinn & E.H. Kass), 1960

"The treatment of renal-glomerular osteodystrophy", with C.M. Harper & G.R. Philpot, Quarterly Journal of Medicine,1961

"Two children with the occulo-cerebrorenal syndrome", with J.M. Smellie, Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1961

"Death from hypothermia in steatorrhoea", with J.F. Stokes & M.E. Carpenter, Lancet, 1961

"Urinary excretion of organic acids in man", with R.E. Dedmon, C.R. Sriver & R.G. Westall, Clinica chim. Acta, 1961

"Psoriasiform dermatosis associated with bizarre metabolic abnormalities", with M. Garretts, Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1961

"Studies in maple syrup urine disease", with R.G. Westall, Archives of Disease in Childhood, 1961

"Calcium intake in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism", with B.V. Hartland, J. Hicks and E.D. Sykes, Lancet, 1961

"Argininosuccinic aciduria and maple syrup disease", Bull. schweiz. Akad. med. Wiss., 1961

"Plasma-alkaline-phosphatase in normal adults and in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism", with C.M. Harper, Lancet, 1962

"Inborn errors of metabolis, London Conference on the Scientific Study of Mental Deficiency, 1962

"Some problems of hyperparathyroidism", British Medical Journal, 1962

"Hypo-hyperparathyroidism", with J.M. Costello, Archives of Disease in Childhood, 1963

"Homocystinuria. A new inborn error of metabolism associated with mental deficiency", with N.A.J. Carson, D.C. Cusworth, C.E. Field, C.M.B. Niell and R.G. Westall, Archives of Disease in Childhood, 1963

"Rickets and osteomalacia", Bone Metabolism in relation to clinical medicine, 1962

"Vitamin D-resistant rickets", with C.H. Burnett, C. Harper & B.J. Warland, An. J. Med., 1964

"Hypercalcaemic rickets associated with renal tubular damage", with M. Friedman, Archives of Disease in Childhood, 1964

"General principles of metabolic balances as illustrated in particular by calcium balance determination", Klinische Ernährungslehre, 1964

"Hypophosphataemic osteomalacia with complete recovery", with M. Friedman, British Medical Journal, 1964

"A comparison between A.T. 10 and pure dihydrotachysterol in controlling hypoparathyroidism", with M. Friedman, Lancet, 1964

"Hyperparathyroidism and cancer", with L.C.A. Watson, British Medical Journal, 1964

"Metaphysical dysostosis. Type Schmid.", with J.C.S. Normand, Archives of Disease in Childhood, 1964

"The effect of cellulose phosphate on calcium metabolism in patients with hypercalcaemia", with C.M. Harper and A.M. Parfitt, Clinical Science, 1964

"Hipofosfatasia", with J. Halpern, D. Hayman & E. Rosenblit, Revta Asoc. Med. Argent., 1964

"Adult Fanconi syndrome and cirrhosis", with J.M. Stowers, British Medical Journal, 1965

"Treatment of cystinuria", with M. Friedman, H. Green & L.C.A. Watson, British Medical Journal, 1965

"Studies in osteopetrosis", with J.M. Smellie & L.C.A. Watson, Archives of Disease in Childhood, 1965

"Treatment of cystinuria", with M. Friedman, H. Green & L.C.A. Watson, British Medical Journal (letter), 1965

"Darwin"s health", British Medical Journal (letter), 1965

"Idiopathic juvenile osteoporosis", with M. Friedman, Quarterly Journal of Medicine,1965

"Homocystinuria. Clinical and pathological review of 10 cases", with N.A.J. Carson, C.M.B. Field & G.B. Gaull, J. Paediat., 1965

"Metabolic studies in a patient with idiopathic hypercalcinuria", with L.C.A. Watson, British Medical Journal, 1965

"Pregnancy and idiopathic osteoporosis", with M. Friedman, Quarterly Journal of Medicine,1965

"Hyperparathyroidism and sarcoidosis", with L.C.A. Watson, British Medical Journal, 1966

"The D vitamins and dihydrotachysterol (DHT) in metabolic diseases", Prescribers Journal, 1966

"Homocystinuria. Clinical and dietary studies", with D.P. Brenton, D.C. Cusworth and E.E. Jones, Quarterly Journal of Medicine,1966

"Parathyorid disease", Ann. R. Coll. Surg., 1966

"Osteoporosis", with L.C.A. Watson, Postgraduate Medical Journal, 1966

"Fibrogenesis imperfecta ossium", with S.L. Baker, M. Friedman & L.C.A. Watson, J. Bone Jt. Surg., 1966

"Biochemical aspects of mental subnormality", in Genetic and Environmental Factors in Human Ability (ed. J.E. Meade & A.S. Parkes), 1966

"Steatorrhoea with striking increase of plasma-alkaline-phosphatase of intestinal origin", with J. St. M. Norris, R. Smith, R.A.L. Sutton & J.M. Temperley, Lancet, 1968

"Tertiary hyperparathyoidism", with D.R. Davies & L.C.A. Watson, British Medical Journal, 1968

"Osteoporosis of lumbar vertebrae and calcification of abdominal aorta in women living in Durban", with H.E. Engelbrecht & R.C. Godfrey, British Medical Journal, 1968

"The hydrocortisone test in primary and tertiary hyperparathyroidism", with L.C.A. Watson, Lancet, 1968

"Hereditary pseudovitamin-D-deficiency rickets", with M. Friedman & L.C.A. Watson, J. Bone Jt. Surg., 1968

"Homocystinuria", with D.C. Cusworth, Biochemical Journal, 1969

"Renal osteodystrophy", The growth plate and its disorders, (ed. M. Rang), 1969

"Homocystinuria", with D.C. Cusworth, British Medical Bulletin, 1969

"Nutritional osteomalacia", with R. Smith, Quarterly Journal of Medicine,1969

"Vitamin D requirements in adults", with R. Smith, Bibl. Nutr. Dieta, 1969

"Idiopathic juvenile osteoporosis", Birth Defects, 1969

"Interim report on vitamin D. Panel on child nutrition", Reports on Public Health and Medical Subjects, 1970

"Dwarfism and primary amenorrhoea", Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1970

"Rickets (and osteomalacia) nutritional and metabolic (1919-1969)", Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1970

"Hiperparatiroidismo primario, secudario y terciario", Revta clin. esp., 1970

"Theoretical renal phosphorus threshold in .stigation and treatment of osteomalacia" with T.C.B. Stamp, Lancet, 1970

"Hyperthyroidism and hypercalcaemia", with A.M. Parfitt, Quarterly Journal of Medicine, 1970

"Calcium metabolism in sarcoidosis", Postgraduate Medical Journal, 1970

"Osteomalacia with longterm anti-convulsant therapy in epilepsy", with A. Richens, D.J.T. Rowe & J.C.B. Stamp, British Medical Journal, 1970

"An experiment on a baby with idopathic hypercalcaemia", Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1970

"Hydroxyprolinuria", British Medical Journal (letter), 1970

"Introduction to symposium on inborn errors of metabolism", Quarterly Journal of Medicine,1970

"Treatment of primary hyperoxaluria" with J.C.B. Stamp, Archives of Disease in Childhood, 1970

"Hypophosphataemic osteomalacia presenting in adults", with J.C.B. Stamp, Quarterly Medical Journal, 1971

"Idiopathic hypercalcinuria and hyperparathyroidism", with D.R. Davies and L.C.A. Watson, British Medical Journal (letter), 1971

"The problem of osteoporosis", Practitioner, 1971

"Rickets and osteomalacia of various origins", Birth Defects, 1971

"Presence and absence of inhibitor of calcium-oxalate growth in urine of normals and of stone-farmers", with J. Sertor, Lancet, 1971

"Treatment of calcinosis circumscripta with Probenecid", with J.C.B. Stamp, British Medical Journal, 1972

"Primary hyperparathyroidism and hyperamino-aciduria", with D.C. Cusworth & C.R Scriver, Clinica chim. Acta, 1972

"Five cases of alpha-chain disease", with W.F. Doe, K. Henry, J.R. Hobbs, F. Jones & C.C. Booth, Gut, 1972

"Treatment of hypophosphataemic rickets due to sex-linked dominant gene" with J.C.B. Stamp, Archives of Disease in Childhood, 1973

"Successful removal of single metastasis in recurrent parathyroid carcinoma", with D.R. Davies & D.R. Ives, British Medical Journal, 1973

"Effect of chapattis and ultraviolet irradiation on nutritional rickets in an Indian immigrant", with J.M. Round, D.J.F. Rowe & J.C.B. Stamp, Lancet, 1973

"Treatment of vitamin D-resistant rickets", Treatment of Inborn Errors of Metabolism (ed. J.W.T. Seakins, R.A. Saunders & C. Toothill), 1973

"Osteomalacia due to phosphate depletion from excessive aluminium hydroxide ingestion", with C.S. Winter, British Medical Journal, 1974

"Correction of plasma calcium measurements", with E.M. Berry, F.V. Flynn, M.M. Gupta & S. Turner, British Medical Journal, 1974

"Definition of osteomalacia", Lancet, 1974

"A point of view on academic salary structure", British Medical Journal, 1975

"Masked primary (or tertiary) hyperparathyroidism", with P.E. Jones & D.P. Millan, Lancet, 1975

"Vitamin-D metabolism in chronic renal failure", with M. Domenech & J.M. Gertner), Lancet, 1975

"Blood, plasma or serum", Lancet, (letter), 1975

"Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin-D levels during pregnancy in Caucasians and in vegetarian and non-vegetarian Asians", with M.M. Gupta, Lancet, 1975

"Collagen studies in osteogenesis imperfecta", with John G. Heathcote, S.J. Al-Alawi & J. Godfrey Heathcote, Lancet, 1976

"Medullary carcinoma of thyroid gland in a girl aged 10 years", with J. Faccini & A. Hidsman, Archives of Disease in Childhood, 1976

"Hypophosphataemic osteomalacia in fibrous dysplasia", with J.M. Gertner, Quarterly Journal of Medicine,1976

"Post-menopausal changes in calcium and phosphorus metabolism", The Management of the Menopause and Post-menopausal Years (ed. Stuart Campbell), 1976

"Metabolic forms of rickets (and osteomalacia)", Inborn Errors of Calcium and Bone Metabolism (ed. H. Bickel & J. Stern), 1976

"Idiopathic juvenile osteoporosis", Inborn Errors of Calcium and Bone Metabolism (ed. H. Bickel & J. Stern), 1976