# Vincent Marks > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Vincent_Marks > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Vincent_Marks.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Marks > Source revision: 1349222018 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|English clinical pathologist and biochemist (1930–2023)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}} {{Infobox scientist | name = Vincent Marks | birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1930|06|10}} | birth_place = [Harlesden](/source/Harlesden), London, England | death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2023|11|06|1930|06|10}} | death_place = | fields = {{hlist|[Biochemistry](/source/Biochemistry)|[clinical pathology](/source/clinical_pathology)}} | known_for = Clinical pathology and medico-legal advancements; Insulin [radioimmunoassay](/source/radioimmunoassay) development in the UK; nutrition studies | spouse = Averil Sherrard | children = 2 }} '''Vincent Marks''' (10 June 1930 – 6 November 2023) was an English [pathologist](/source/pathologist) and [clinical biochemist](/source/Clinical_Biochemistry) known for his works on studying [insulin](/source/insulin) and [hypoglycemia](/source/hypoglycemia). His contributions to medical science include simplifying low blood glucose testing, introducing insulin [radioimmunoassay](/source/radioimmunoassay), and advancing diabetes research. Marks played an important role in high-profile [medico-legal](/source/medico-legal) cases, notably providing expert testimony that helped acquit Danish-born British socialite [Claus von Bülow](/source/Claus_von_B%C3%BClow) in 1985, a case that was the basis of the Oscar-winning movie ''[Reversal of Fortune](/source/Reversal_of_Fortune)'' (1990). Marks was also a nutritionist who studied [intestinal hormones](/source/intestinal_hormones) and coined the term "muesli belt malnutrition", referring to parents feeding their children what is considered extremely healthy foods, but, in the process depriving them of [essential fats](/source/Essential_Fats). ==Early life== Vincent Marks was born on 10 June 1930, in [Harlesden](/source/Harlesden), North West London, to Lewis and Rose (née Goldbaum) Marks, in a Jewish household. His parents ran a pub. Marks attended [Tottenham Grammar School](/source/Tottenham_Grammar_School) before going to study medicine on a scholarship at [Brasenose College, Oxford](/source/Brasenose_College%2C_Oxford), in 1948.{{Cite news |last=Warren |first=Penny |date=3 December 2023 |title=Vincent Marks obituary |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/dec/03/vincent-marks-obituary |access-date=3 December 2023 |issn=0261-3077}} He completed his training and qualified as a doctor from the [St Thomas' Hospital](/source/St_Thomas'_Hospital) in London, in 1954. It is noted that his interest in medicine was driven in part by his mother's insistence that their childhood home be neat and tidy for the "doctor's visit", leading him and his brother to think highly of doctors and medicine as a profession. During his time at Oxford, he was branded a [communist](/source/Communism) after demanding that [''The Daily Worker''](/source/The_Daily_Worker_(UK)), a newspaper mouthpiece of [Communist Party of Great Britain](/source/Communist_Party_of_Great_Britain), be introduced in the university's common rooms. He later joined the party, but left it in 1956 following the suppression of the [Hungarian Uprising](/source/Hungarian_Revolution_of_1956) by the Soviet Union. In the 1980s he was a member of the [Social Democratic Party](/source/Social_Democratic_Party_(UK)) (SDP). ==Career== Marks began his career in the late 1950s at the [National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery](/source/National_Hospital_for_Neurology_and_Neurosurgery), focusing on detecting low blood sugar and researching [pancreatic](/source/pancreatic) and glucose-management hormones. Notably, he simplified the testing for low blood glucose using [glucose oxidase](/source/glucose_oxidase), a method that foreshadowed modern diabetes diagnostics including colour-changing glucose strips. Collaborating with South African medical researcher [Ellis Samols](/source/Ellis_Samols), Marks introduced [insulin](/source/insulin) [radioimmunoassay](/source/radioimmunoassay) into the UK, transforming insulin level measurement. The method had earlier been developed in the United States. Marks moved to Surrey in 1962, working as a consultant chemical pathologist in [Epsom](/source/Epsom). He co-authored the textbook ''Hypoglycaemia'' in 1965, and later became a professor of biochemistry at the [University of Surrey](/source/University_of_Surrey) in 1970. Marks established a laboratory for insulin testing and founded a master's course in [clinical pathology](/source/clinical_pathology). His laboratory was among the first to offer insulin assays for testing across [National Health Service (NHS)](/source/National_Health_Service) hospitals in the United Kingdom.{{Cite journal |last=Illman |first=John |date=22 November 2023 |title=Vincent Marks: pioneering researcher into insulin and hypoglycaemia and sought after expert witness |url=https://www.bmj.com/content/383/bmj.p2750 |journal=BMJ |language=en |volume=383 |pages=2750 |doi=10.1136/bmj.p2750 |s2cid=265387968 |issn=1756-1833 |access-date=3 December 2023 |archive-date=23 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231123012030/https://www.bmj.com/content/383/bmj.p2750 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }} His research extended to monitoring drug levels in the blood and investigating hormones like [melatonin](/source/melatonin) and insulin-like growth factors. Marks also studied [intestinal hormones](/source/intestinal_hormones) and helped designate the [gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP)](/source/Gastric_inhibitory_polypeptide) as an obesity hormone. He also coined the term "muesli belt malnutrition", referring to parents feeding their children what is considered extremely healthy foods, but, in the process depriving them of [essential fats](/source/Essential_Fats).{{cite news |date=9 May 1998 |title=Muesli-belt kids face the threat of starvation |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/muesli-belt-kids-face-the-threat-of-starvation-1160104.html |accessdate=12 July 2016 |archive-date=20 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820232340/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/muesli-belt-kids-face-the-threat-of-starvation-1160104.html |url-status=live }}{{cite book |author1=Jane B. Morgan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d7AQn2Ol6gUC&pg=PA245 |title=Nutrition in Early Life |author2=John W. T. Dickerson |date=4 April 2003 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0-470-85792-2 |pages=245–}}{{cite book |author=Michael Van Straten |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jy_I2QAMpd8C |title=Healing Foods: Nutrition for the Mind, Body and Spirit |date=1 January 1997 |publisher=Welcome Rain |isbn=978-1-55670-662-2 |quote=Professor Vincent Marks at the University of Surrey coined the phrase "muesli-belt malnutrition," an accurate description of this over-zealous attitude. Serious ...}}{{Cite web |title=A fishy tale? |url=https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/fishy-tale |access-date=4 December 2023 |website=BPS |language=en}} He explored this topic in his book ''[Panic Nation](/source/Panic_Nation)'' (2006), which he co-authored with Stanley Feldman.{{Cite book |last=Feldman |first=Stanley |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5yGtDwAAQBAJ&q=Panic+Nation |title=Panic Nation: Exposing the myths we're told about food and health |date=28 July 2016 |publisher=Kings Road Publishing |isbn=978-1-85782-840-5 |language=en}} Marks gained prominence in the [medico-legal](/source/medico-legal) field, providing expert opinions in notable cases. His testimony in Danish-born British socialite [Claus von Bülow](/source/Claus_von_B%C3%BClow)'s 1985 trial challenged accusations of insulin injection and led to an acquittal. The case was made into a book and later into an Oscar winning movie, ''[Reversal of Fortune](/source/Reversal_of_Fortune)''. In his testimony, Marks said that the insulin-covered needle was most likely planted by someone who did not realize that insulin is cleaned off the needles once it is injected.{{Cite news |date=3 December 2023 |title=Professor Vincent Marks obituary |newspaper=[The Times](/source/The_Times) |language=en |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/professor-vincent-marks-obituary-xrr0smzdf |access-date=3 December 2023 |issn=0140-0460 |archive-date=21 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121171852/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/professor-vincent-marks-obituary-xrr0smzdf |url-status=live }} Marks also testified against [Beverley Allitt](/source/Beverley_Allitt) in 1993, who used insulin to murder four children, and at the trial of [Colin Norris](/source/Colin_Norris) in 2008.{{Cite news |date=15 December 2014 |title=Colin Norris: Fresh doubt over killer nurse conviction |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-30448325 |access-date=4 December 2023 |archive-date=3 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203070038/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-30448325 |url-status=live }} In 2007, he co-authored ''Insulin Murders'' detailing his involvement in high-profile medico-legal cases and reflecting on his career. The book was among the first to talk about insulin as a murder weapon and documented more than 50 years of medical cases in which insulin had been used as a weapon.{{Cite news |date=10 August 2007 |title=Using insulin as a murder weapon |language=en-GB |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6250172.stm |access-date=4 December 2023 |archive-date=28 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528205640/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6250172.stm |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |date=21 May 2013 |title='Angel of Death': New evidence in Colin Norris killer nurse case |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-22619787 |access-date=4 December 2023 |archive-date=14 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314022708/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-22619787 |url-status=live }} Marks retired in 1995 but remained active as an [emeritus professor](/source/emeritus_professor), contributing to research, publishing, and medico-legal work. He served as the president at the [Association of Clinical Biochemists](/source/Association_of_Clinical_Biochemists) between 1989 and 1991, and as the vice president at the [Royal College of Pathologists](/source/Royal_College_of_Pathologists). In a career spanning more than 50 years, he authored over 50 papers, contributed to more than 300 research publications, and authored almost 20 textbooks. His last book, ''The Forensic Aspects of Hypoglycaemia'', was published in 2019. ==Personal life== In 1957, Marks married sculptor and artist [Averil Sherrard](/source/Averil_Sherrard) and had two children. Marks was known to have been an atheist and a humanist who was opposed to religion. Along with his wife, he campaigned for various causes including saving a park in [Guildford](/source/Guildford), [Surrey](/source/Surrey), where they lived, from developers. He was a founding member of the charity [HealthSense](/source/HealthSense).{{cite web |url= https://mjauk.org/2024/09/27/fearless-campaigner-against-deadly-bad-science-to-receive-the-2024-healthsense-award/ |title= Fearless campaigner against deadly bad science to receive the 2024 HealthSense Award |last= Payne |first= Mandy |date= 27 September 2024 |website= Medical Journalists’ Association |publisher= |access-date= 24 March 2026 |quote=}} His brother [John Marks](/source/John_Marks_(doctor)) was also a doctor, and the chair of the [British Medical Association](/source/British_Medical_Association). Marks died on 6 November 2023, at the age of 93. ==Selected works== * {{Cite book |last1=Marks |first1=Vincent |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DDRsAAAAMAAJ |title=Hypoglycaemia |last2=Rose |first2=Frank Clifford |date=1965 |publisher=Blackwell}} * {{Cite book |last1=Marks |first1=Vincent |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5yGtDwAAQBAJ&q=Panic+Nation |title=Panic Nation: Exposing the myths we're told about food and health |last2=Feldman |first2=Stanley |date=2006 |publisher=Kings Road Publishing |isbn=978-1-85782-840-5}} * {{Cite book |last1=Marks |first1=Vincent |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BLohAQAAMAAJ |title=Insulin Murders |last2=Richmond |first2=Caroline |date=2007|publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-85315-760-8}} * {{Cite book |last1=Marks |first1=Vincent |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_VjrCAAAQBAJ |title=Differential Diagnosis by Laboratory Medicine: A Quick Reference for Physicians |last2=Cantor |first2=Thomas |last3=Mesko |first3=Dusan |last4=Pullmann |first4=Rudolf |last5=Nosalova |first5=Gabriela |date=2012 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-3-642-55600-5}} * {{Cite book |last1=Hubbard |first1=Ron |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TBTlBwAAQBAJ |title=Clinical Applications of Monoclonal Antibodies |last2=Marks |first2=Vincent |date=2013|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-1-4613-1573-5}} ==References== {{reflist}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Marks, Vincent}} Category:1930 births Category:2023 deaths Category:Chemical pathologists Category:Biochemistry educators Category:People from Harlesden Category:Communist Party of Great Britain members Category:English pathologists Category:20th-century English chemists Category:20th-century British biochemists Category:English biochemists Category:British nutritionists Category:Academics of the University of Surrey Category:20th-century English Jews Category:Jewish chemists Category:Jewish biologists Category:Jewish British scientists Category:Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford Category:Scientists from London Category:Academics from London Category:English humanists Category:English atheists Category:Jewish humanists Category:Jewish atheists --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Vincent Marks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Marks) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Marks?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.