Christopher Robert Pemberton

Christopher Robert Pemberton (1765, Trumpington, Cambridgeshire – 31 July 1822, Fredville, Kent) was an English medical doctor. He was the Gulstonian Lecturer in 1797 and the Harveian Orator in 1806.

Education and career After education at Bury St Edmunds School, he matriculated in 1784 at Caius College, Cambridge. There he graduated with an M.B. in 1789, was made a Fellow in 1793, and graduated with an M.D. in 1794. In 1806 he was appointed physician-extraordinary to the Prince of Wales and to the Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale and, afterward, to His Majesty King George III.

In 1806 he published A Practical Treatise on Various Diseases of the Abdominal Viscera. Carl Adolph Moritz Bresler translated the 4th edition into German. Pemberton's book is dedicated to Matthew Baillie, M.D., Charles Dalston Nevinson, M.D., Pelham Warren, M.D., Astley Cooper, Esq., and Benjamin Collins Brodie, Esq. The books's eleven chapters deal with peritonæum, liver, gall bladder, pancreas, spleen, kidneys, stomach, intestines, enteritis, "inflammation of the mucous membrane of the intestines", and "disease of the mesenteric glands". The book was studied by Charles Darwin

Within the 1806 book, Pemberton's 3 most original observations are: (i) water brash (GERD) can result from a diet that consists solely of potatoes (vitamin D deficiency), (ii) in some cases, cancer of the bowel can exist for a long time without significant symptoms, and (iii) over-exertion of particular muscles can lead to a form of palsy. Pemberton was one of the first English medical writers on trade palsies (such as carpal tunnel syndrome from too much sewing). He recommended the use of a splint supporting the hand in cases where there is palsy of the muscles of the back of the forehand. His book shows that he had considerable knowledge of morbid anatomy and was an "excellent clinical observer".

Family His grandfather was Sir Francis Pemberton. Christopher Robert Pemberton was the fifth son of Rev. Jeremiah Pemberton Eleanor Hamilton married Christopher Robert Pemberton in August 1794 — she was his second wife.