Thomas Martin BarrattCBEFRCP (13 February 1936 – 17 January 2014) was a British paediatrician and professor of paediatricnephrology.[2][1] Barratt was most notable for developing a specialist service for children with kidney diseases in Britain, bringing peritoneal dialysis, haemodialysis, and later renal transplantation to ever younger children.[3] Barratt was an early advocate for multidisciplinary care and developed a model that was later taken up by many other specialist centres across the world. His research led to a new treatments for many types of childhood kidney diseases.,[4] and for research into childhood Nephrotic syndrome and Hemolytic-uremic syndrome.[1]
Throughout his life, Barratt suffered from facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, a disease that causes progressive weakness, which forced him to retire early, eventually forcing him to use wheelchair for movement. In retirement he kept up to date with the latest developments in paediatric nephrology.[1]
When Barratt started his clinical career, the specialism of paediatric nephrology in the UK, outwith certain areas, was primitive.[1] Barratt held the first post that was specifically committed, both academically and professionally to the treatment of children with renal disease.[1]
Barratt initially worked by himself, but was joined by Michael Dillon in 1975, and together they built a major world class paediatric nephrology services department at Great Ormond Street Hospital and conducted a research programme at the Institute of Child Health. Barratt was later joined by Richard Trompeter and Lesley Rees who continued the work of Barratt.[1]
Barratt early in his career realized that collaboration was needed in developing an interdisciplinary care model for the treatment of children with renal diseases, eventually working closely with the paediatric urologists David Innes Williams and Philip G. Ransley and the paediatric imager, Isky Gordon.[1]
Clinically, Martin had the most wonderful clarity of thought—making the most complex issues clear. He had an absolute belief that the job of a consultant was to offer patients the best of all available evidence.[3]
Barratt was considered an outstanding teacher and lecturer.[1]
The following papers were his most well known and cited:
Smellie, Jean M.; Barratt, T. Martin; Chantler, Cyril; Gordon, Isky; Prescod, Nina P.; Ransley, Philip G.; Woolf, Adrian S. (2001). "Medical versus surgical treatment in children with severe bilateral vesicoureteric reflux and bilateral nephropathy: a randomised trial". The Lancet. 357 (9265): 1329–1333. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(00)04520-7. ISSN0140-6736. PMID11343739.
Walters, Martin D. S.; Matthei, I. Ute; Kay, Richard; Dillon, Michael J.; Barratt, T. Martin (June 1989). "The polymorphonuclear leucocyte count in childhood haemolytic uraemic syndrome". Pediatric Nephrology. 3 (2): 130–134. doi:10.1007/BF00852893.
Roy, Sushmita; Dillon, Michael J.; Trompeter, Richard S.; Barratt, T. Martin (26 May 1997). "Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease: long-term outcome of neonatal survivors". Pediatric Nephrology. 11 (3): 302–306. doi:10.1007/s004670050281.
Fizpatrick, Margaret M.; Walters, Martin D.S.; Trompeter, Richard S.; Dillon, Michael J.; Barratt, T. Martin (April 1993). "Atypical (non-diarrhea-associated) hemolytic-uremic syndrome in childhood". The Journal of Pediatrics. 122 (4): 532–537. doi:10.1016/S0022-3476(05)83531-0. PMID8463896.
Brock, Penelope R.; Koliouskas, Dimitri E.; Barratt, T. Martin; Yeomans, Elizabeth; Pritchard, Jon (April 1991). "Partial reversibility of cisplatin nephrotoxicity in children". The Journal of Pediatrics. 118 (4): 531–534. doi:10.1016/S0022-3476(05)83372-4.
Levinsky, Roland J.; Malleson, Peter N.; Barratt, T. Martin; Soothill, John F. (19 January 1978). "Circulating Immune Complexes in Steroid-Responsive Nephrotic Syndrome". New England Journal of Medicine. 298 (3): 126–129. doi:10.1056/NEJM197801192980303. PMID619241.
Barratt collaborated in the following books.
Urology in Childhood., D Innes Williams; T Martin Barratt; Herbert B Eckstein; Sheila M Kohlinsky; George H Newns; Paul E Polani; Jack D Singer. Berlin, Heidelberg:Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 1974
^ abcdef"Professor Martin Barratt". The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. 28 February 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2018.