Francis John Worsley Roughton facts for kids

Francis John Worsley Roughton (born June 6, 1899 – died April 26, 1972) was an English scientist who studied the human body and its chemical processes. He was a physiologist and a biochemist. Roughton spent his career studying how our blood carries oxygen. He made important discoveries about haemoglobin, which is the part of red blood cells that picks up oxygen.

Who Was F.J.W. Roughton?

Francis Roughton was born in Kettering, England. His family had many doctors. From a young age, he had a heart condition called tachycardia, which meant his heart beat very fast. Because of this, he did not fight in World War I.

He went to study science at Winchester and Cambridge universities. At Cambridge, he decided to study how the body works, which is called physiology. He was inspired by another scientist named Joseph Barcroft. Roughton's own heart condition even led him to study how oxygen moves from the lungs into the blood.

Early Research and Discoveries

In 1923, Roughton became a fellow at Trinity College and started teaching biochemistry. He worked with Hamilton Hartridge, another student of Joseph Barcroft. Hartridge had created a special device to mix liquids and study how fast they reacted.

Using this device, Roughton and Hartridge developed ways to watch how oxygen and carbon monoxide attached to haemoglobin. They found that these reactions happened very quickly, even in the tiny blood vessels called capillaries. This was a big step in understanding how our bodies transport gases.

Later Career and Achievements

In 1927, Roughton became a lecturer in physiology. He continued to study how fast chemical reactions happen with haemoglobin. During World War II, he even helped with research related to carbon monoxide, a dangerous gas.

Roughton was recognized for his important work. In 1936, he was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a group of top scientists. Later, in 1947, he became a special professor at Cambridge, focusing on how tiny particles behave in liquids.

Roughton's Family Life

In 1925, Francis Roughton married Alice Hopkinson. She was also a doctor. They had a son and a daughter together.