Wikipedia:Peer review/Barend Joseph Stokvis/archive1

Barend Joseph Stokvis
This peer review discussion has been closed. I've listed this article for peer review because I want to make sure I have maximised all opportunities to expand and verify its content before hopefully taking it to WP:FAC.

Thanks, JFW &#124; T@lk  20:05, 19 May 2013 (UTC)

Comments: I'll give this a read and add some comments as I go. I'm not promising my review will be comprehensive, but I'll try and be as picky as I can! I hope those comments are helpful. Ignore any you don't agree with, but I tried to be extra picky especially as your aim is FAC. The article was interesting, but can read a little dense in parts. I didn't check the references; maybe I'll come back and check them if I have time. - Shudde  talk 12:32, 29 May 2013 (UTC)
 * Regarding the lead - the first sentence could do with some improvements. I don't think Dutch needs to be wiki-linked, but maybe link pharmacology? The lead seems a little light, I know the article is not a large one, but maybe some more information could be added. One thing that stuck out for me was that it stated Stokvis was a professor, but doesn't say where?
 * After reading the article, the statement "He was one of a number of influential 19th century Jewish physicians in the Netherlands.[4]" seems even more out of place than we I initially read it. Nothing is said about this in the article, yet it is included, but further details regarding his scientific career (which seems to be why is notable) is omitted. I'm wondering if this sentence is necessary, and if instead a couple more sentences about his scientific career could be added.
 * Where did he study medicine in Amsterdam?
 * Good point; the sources are quiet on where exactly he studied, considered it didn't have an university at that point. JFW &#124; T@lk  16:26, 14 January 2014 (UTC)
 * "in 1856.[3][7][8][9]" - maybe try to avoid having four citations in a row
 * Reduced to three (one cited the other). Trying to be thorough. JFW &#124; T@lk  16:26, 14 January 2014 (UTC)
 * "His thesis closely followed recent work by the French physiologist Claude Bernard" - this doesn't read well
 * Rephrased. JFW &#124; T@lk  16:26, 14 January 2014 (UTC)
 * " influenced by the chemist Mulder in " why not state Mulder's full name (or at least given name)?
 * " the Brussels Academy awarded a gold medal to Stokvis for an essay on the development of albuminuria (a kidney disorder in which the protein albumin can be detected in the urine)." - maybe try and remove the parenthesis
 * I think some material in the "Scientific career" could be rewritten a little. Specifically I think there is a little bit of jargon, and it can be quite dense with information. For example, Atropa belladonna is Deadly Nightshade – lay readers may find that Stokvis researched the toxicity of this quite interesting, but may glaze over it if they only see the scientific name. Another example is "Methemoglobinemia" - this is a blood condition, there is no harm in saying so, especially as lay readers would have no idea what it is!
 * Is his research into methemoglobinemia related to his research into blood pigments?
 * Difficult to say. It is mentioned separately in the source. JFW &#124; T@lk  16:26, 14 January 2014 (UTC)
 * "In 1889, he reported on a case of acute porphyria provoked by the newly introduced hypnotic drug sulfonmethane (sulfonal).[1][13] The patient's underlying condition was probably acute intermittent porphyria, which can be provoked by medicines; similar reports by others followed shortly after, and other drugs were also found to be porphyrogenic.[13][14]" - not sure about these two sentences. They don't read well, and are a bit jargony.
 * Rephrased and restructured for comprehensibility. JFW &#124; T@lk  16:26, 14 January 2014 (UTC)
 * " Olof Hammarsten further characterised the chemical properties of the red compound found in the urine of the patients" - this is very vague, further characterised?
 * Rephrased. It was chemical analysis, and confirmation that it was indeed a porphyrin. JFW &#124; T@lk  16:26, 14 January 2014 (UTC)
 * " Porphyrins had been described as a chemical entity in 1871 by the German chemist Felix Hoppe-Seyler, named for their purple hue (poxphuros being Greek for "purple")." - this doesn't read well either. Maybe " Porphyrins were first identified by the German chemist Felix Hoppe-Seyler in 1871, and derive their named from the Greek for purple—poxphuros—after to their color."?
 * "Stokvis' most important work was judged by his contemporaries" be more specific; how was it judged by them? You may even be able to quote from his obituary, it should be in the public domain
 * The author of the obituary refers to his 3-volume book as a "magnum opus". Not sure if there's an advantage to quoting that verbatim.
 * "Professional activities" - I'm wondering if there could be a more appropriate section title here - was his "scientific" career amateur?
 * Fair point. Changed. JFW &#124; T@lk  16:26, 14 January 2014 (UTC)
 * "and he would serve as vice-president of the Academy in 1896." - "and served as vice-president of the Academy in 1896."
 * " He received an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of Edinburgh in 1884." maybe " He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Edinburgh in 1884." - and does this statement need three references?
 * " Jewish Poor Board" - what is that?
 * It is a direct translation of the name of the organisation (Joods Armenbestuur). It was a charitable organisation.
 * "He was also a patron of the arts." - could anything more specific be said on this?
 * Like his brother-in-law Wertheim he stimulated the arts. The sources are scarce on his exact contribution.
 * "They had two children.[10] He was an ardent swimmer, and wrote poetry under several pseudonyms. He spoke several languages.[3] He died in Amsterdam shortly after returning from a holiday in Ireland,[12] from what was thought to be myocarditis.[11]" this all reads a bit poorly; it is very abrupt and is a little repetitive, with so may sentences starting with He.
 * Would it be worth adding an infobox for this article?
 * Why was File:Stokvis.jpg painted by Jozef Israëls when he was (according to his en-wiki page) such a notable painter? If there is information on this, maybe it could be added to the caption.