Scientist Profile

Index1. Biography 2. Project 3. Success 4. References

BiographyName: MURRAY LLEWELLYN BARR

Birth date: June 20, 1908 

Birth place: Belmont, Ontario 

Date of Death: May 4, 1995 

Place of Death: London, ON 

Title: Professor Emeritus of Anatomy, UWO 

Status: Deceased 

Degrees: BA, U Western Ontario, London, Ontario, 1930 MD, 1933 MSc, 1938

Awards: Flavelle Medal (Royal Society of Canada),1959 Ortho Medal (American Society for the Study of Sterility) Award of Merit (Gairdner Foundation) Maurice Goldblatt Award (International Academy of Cytology)

Project Barr’s main interest was cytological research as it applies to sex anomalies and mental retardation. He is author of numerous publications in the field of cytology (the structure and function of cells), principally the cytology of the nervous system and human cytogenetic. His popular textbook on neuroanatomy, The Human Nervous System: An Anatomical Viewpoint is now in its 9th edition.

SuccessIn 1949, Barr discovered sex chromatin, a substance made of DNA and protein, a discovery which made it possible to determine the cellular sex of an individual. Barr and his colleagues also devised the buccal smear test, whereby cells from the patient’s mouth are taken and examined for chromosomal defects. This test is now used extensively to screen patients, including newborn babies.

References "science.ca Profile : Murray Llewellyn Barr." science.ca The Best Source for Canadian Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2012. <http://www.science.ca/scientists/scientistprofile.php?pID=119&pg=0>