Walter Essex Wynter

Who is Walter Essex Wynter?

Walter Essex Wynter was a physician who is noted for his role in the development of the procedure of lumbar puncture, the means by which cerebrospinal fluid is obtained for the diagnosis of meningitis and other diseases.

Wynter was the son of Andrew Wynter, a physician and the editor of the British Medical Journal from 1855-1861. He was educated at Epsom College, Surrey, and at Middlesex Hospital. During his training he reported four cases in which he performed CSF drainage in children for the treatment of meningitis in the Lancet. His procedure involved an incision and the insertion of a tube to relieve pressure, but all four patients died. He became a physician at Middlesex hospital in 1901.