Graves, Robert James (1796-1853), an Irish doctor, reported in 1835 on the thyroid gland disorder known as hyperthyroidism. Today, the most common cause of hyperthyroidism is called Graves’ disease (see Graves’ disease ). Graves was chiefly interested in acute communicable diseases, and insisted, against common practice, that patients with fevers be well fed. He once remarked that his epitaph might be, “He Fed Fevers.” An excellent teacher, Graves wrote the textbook Clinical Lectures on the Practice of Medicine (1848).
Graves was born on March 28, 1796, in Dublin. He received his medical degree from Dublin University in 1818. Graves died on March 20, 1853.
