Charles Scriver

{{Short description|Canadian pediatrician and biochemical geneticist (1930–2023)}}

{{Infobox scientist

| name = Charles Scriver

| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|CC|GOQ|FRS|FRSC|size=100%}}

| birth_name = Charles Robert Scriver

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1930|11|07}}

| birth_place = Montreal, Quebec, Canada

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2023|04|07|1930|11|07}}

| death_place = Montreal, Quebec, Canada

| field = Pediatrics
Biochemical genetics

| work_institutions = McGill University

| alma_mater = McGill University

| known_for = Inborn errors of metabolism

| prizes = E. Mead Johnson Award (1968)
William Allan Award {{small|(1978)}}
John Howland Award (2010)

}}

Charles Robert Scriver {{post-nominals|country=CAN|CC|GOQ|FRS|FRSC}} (November 7, 1930 – April 7, 2023) was a Canadian pediatrician and biochemical geneticist. His work focused on inborn errors of metabolism and led in establishing a Canada-wide newborn metabolic screening program.

Early life and education

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Scriver graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1951 and from the Faculty of Medicine of McGill University in 1955.

Scientific career

Scriver was appointed to the Department of Paediatrics at McGill and as a Markle scholar in 1961, becoming a professor in pediatrics in 1969. He was the Samuel Rudin Distinguished Visiting Professorship at Columbia University from 1979 to 1980 and was the Alva professor Emeritus of Human Genetics in the Faculty of Medicine of McGill University.

In 1969 he discovered that rickets could be caused by vitamin D deficiency among poorer children who drank bottled milk instead of infant formula. He persuaded Quebec suppliers to add vitamin D to their milk, leading to a decrease in the rate of rickets.{{cite web |last1=Leung |first1=Wency |title=Dr. Charles Scriver was a pioneer of medical genetics |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-dr-charles-scriver-was-a-pioneer-of-medical-genetics/ |website=The Globe and Mail |access-date=10 January 2024 |date=5 May 2023 |quote=after discovering vitamin D deficiency was the cause of rickets among poorer children who were fed milk instead of infant formula, Dr. Scriver enlisted the help of Arnold Steinberg of Steinberg’s grocery chain to demand that Quebec milk suppliers add vitamin D}}

Scriver played a critical role in developing scientific and ethical policies associated with the international Human Genome Project - created to decode more than three billion DNA base pairs and identify all human genes.[http://communications.uwo.ca/western_news/stories/2007/June/geneticist_urges_grads_to_look_after_mother_earth.html Western University 2007 Convocation]{{cite web |last1=Leung |first1=Wency |title=Dr. Charles Scriver was a pioneer of medical genetics |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-dr-charles-scriver-was-a-pioneer-of-medical-genetics/ |website=The Globe and Mail |access-date=10 January 2024 |date=5 May 2023 |quote=Scriver also played a role in initiating The Human Genome Project, ... In 1986, while at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in the U.S., he brought together key researchers and funders for a meeting to pursue the project,}}

Scriver was co-editor of the authoritative multi-volume textbook entitled The Metabolic & Molecular Bases of Inherited Disease, published by McGraw-Hill.

Death

Scriver died in Montreal on April 7, 2023, at the age of 92.{{Cite web |url=https://healthenews.mcgill.ca/in-memoriam-charles-r-scriver/ |title= In memoriam: Charles R. Scriver |publisher=McGill University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences |date=April 18, 2023 |access-date=April 19, 2023}}

Honours

He was awarded the McLaughlin medal from the Royal Society of Canada in 1981.
In 1985 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
In 1991, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.
In 1995, he was awarded the Government of Quebec's Prix Wilder-Penfield.
In 1996 he was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada
He was the 1996 recipient of the Canadian Medical Association Medal of Service, awarded to a physician who has made "an exceptional and outstanding contribution to the advancement of health care in Canada."
In 1997 he was made a Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec.
In 2001 he was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.
In 2001, he was inducted into the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame.[http://www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca/english/newsrel/inductees01.cfm Pierre Dansereau, Charles Scriver Inducted Into The Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017013034/http://www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca/english/newsrel/inductees01.cfm |date=2013-10-17 }}, News Release, Canada Science and Technology Museum, November 8, 2001.
In 2008, he was awarded the Paediatric Academic Leadership Award for Clinical Investigation by the Paediatric Chairs of Canada{{cite web|title=Pediatric Chairs of Canada|url=https://www.pediatricchairs.ca/award-winner-archive|website=paediatricchairs.ca|access-date=August 26, 2020}}
In 2010, he was honored by the American Pediatric Society with the 2010 John Howland Award
In 2010, he was awarded the Pollin Prize for Pediatric Research
He received honorary Doctor of Science degrees from the University of Manitoba, Glasgow University and the Université de Montréal.

Honorary degrees

The University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario; Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) June 13, 2007[http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/senate/honorary_degrees_by_surname.pdf UWO List of Honorary degrees] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212182410/http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/senate/honorary_degrees_by_surname.pdf |date=2012-02-12 }}

References

{{cite web|url=http://utpress.utpress.utoronto.ca/cgi-bin/cw2w3.cgi?p=scott&t=55652&d=3266|title=Canadian Who's Who 1997 entry|access-date=October 13, 2006|work=University of Toronto Press}}{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
{{cite journal

|date=May 2008

|title=Canadian Pioneers. Dr. Charles Robert Scriver

|journal=Genome

|volume=51

|issue=5

|pages=iii–iv

| pmid = 18595221

|doi=10.1139/g08-914

|last1=Fedak

|first1=George

|last2=Kim

|first2=Nam-Soo