James Scott (obstetrician)
James Steel Scott (18 April 1924 – 17 September 2006) was a Scottish
gynaecologist who was a pioneer in the field of reproductive immunology. He was Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Leeds
from 1961 to 1989.
Early life
James Scott was born in
Glasgow Academy and the University of Glasgow Medical School, qualifying in 1946, he completed two years of national service with the Royal Army Medical Corps in West Africa.[2]
Career
At the completion of his national service in 1949,
In 1961, at the age of 37, Scott was appointed
systemic lupus erythematosus. In a collaboration with his wife Olive, he also showed that anti-Ro antibodies, when crossing the placenta, could cause heart block in the foetus.[3] Scott also tried to identify a cause for pre-eclampsia, a popular question for obstetric researchers at the time. He hypothesised that it was caused by an immunological mismatch between mother and foetus and although he found supportive anecdotal evidence for this theory, he was unable to prove it.[4] While investigating whether antiphospholipid antibodies could cause pre-eclampsia, Scott discovered that these antibodies increase the risk of recurrent miscarriage; screening for these antibodies is now routine in women with recurrent miscarriage.[3]
Scott served as dean of the Leeds School of Medicine from 1986 until his retirement in 1989.[3]
Death
Scott died from prostate cancer[4] on 17 September 2006 in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.[3]
References
- ^ a b "Prof James Scott". The Daily Telegraph. 19 October 2006. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
- ^ a b Lilford, Richard (20 December 2006). "James Scott". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Thornton, Jim (3 October 2006). "Professor James Scott". The Independent. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
- ^ PMC 1626289.