Tudor Thomas
Sir James William Tudor Thomas universally known as Tudor Thomas (23 May 1893 – 23 January 1976)[1] was a Welsh ophthalmic surgeon who came to note in 1934 when pioneering work on corneal grafting restored the sight of a man who had been nearly blind for 27 years.
Life history
[edit]Thomas was born in Ystradgynlais, Swansea, Wales in 1893. He was the only child of Thomas Thomas, the headmaster of Ystradgynlais County School, and Mary, who was the daughter of a colliery proprietor.[1] He was educated at the Welsh School of Medicine in Cardiff, and the Middlesex Hospital in London.[2] He specialised in eye surgery from an early point of his medical career.[2]
He served in the Royal Army Medical Corps during World War I. After the war he worked for a time as a clinical assistant at the Royal London Ophthalmic Hospital (Moorfields) before returning to Wales to work as an ophthalmic surgeon.[3] In 1921 he was appointed Ophthalmic Surgeon at Cardiff Royal Infirmary and United Cardiff Hospitals and served there for 37 years.[4]
He was also a clinical teacher for the Welsh National School of Medicine.[5] It was while at the School of Medicine that he undertook his pioneering work in corneal grafting. He conceived the idea of a donor system for corneal grafts and an eye bank was established in East Grinstead in 1955.
In 1956 he was knighted for his medical work.[6]
In 1938 he had married Bronwen Vaughan Pugh; they had two sons.
See also
[edit]Bibliography
[edit]- Davies, John; Jenkins, Nigel (2008). The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 978-0-7083-1953-6.
References
[edit]- 1 2 "1976)". Thomas, Sir James William Tudor (1893. 24 March 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- 1 2 Davies, (2008) page 868
- ↑ "Vignette: Pioneering eye surgeon Sir Tudor Thomas (1893-1976)". MDDUS. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- ↑ "Obituary Notices – Sir Tudor Thomas". British Medical Journal. 1 (6005): 345. 7 February 1976. PMC 1638706. PMID 764938.
- ↑ Pioneers & Personalities Cardiff University
- ↑ London Gazette 31 May 1956