Selig Percy Amoils,

FRCS Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an intercollegiate basis by the four Royal Colleges of Surgeons (the Royal C ...

, born 1933, is a South African

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgery, surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Followin ...

and biomedical engineering inventor."Presentation of National Orders - 27 September 2006: Selig Percy Amoils (1933 – )."
Accessed October 20, 2006. In 1965, Amoils refined the cryoextraction method of

cataract surgery Cataract surgery, also called lens replacement surgery, is the removal of the natural lens of the eye (also called "crystalline lens") that has developed an opacification, which is referred to as a cataract, and its replacement with an intraocu ...

by developing a

cryoprobe Cryosurgery is the use of extreme cold in surgery to destroy abnormal or diseased tissue; thus, it is the surgical application of cryoablation. The term comes from the Greek words cryo (κρύο) ("icy cold") and surgery (''cheirourgiki'' – χ� ...

that was cooled through the Joule-Thomson effect of gas expansion.Munton G
"A short history of cataract surgery."
''CE Optometry''. 2001 Vol.4 No.2: 45-88. His system is still widely used in the fields of

ophthalmology Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...

and

gynaecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined are ...

.Cooper SM, Dawber RP
"The history of cryosurgery."
''J R Soc Med.'' 2001 Apr;94(4):196-201. . Amoils was also awarded a patent for his "rotary epithelial scrubber", an improvement on the brush first developed by

Ioannis Pallikaris Ioannis G. Pallikaris ( el, Παλλήκαρης Ιωάννης; born November 18, 1947) is a Greek ophthalmologist who in 1989 performed the first LASIK procedure on a human eye. Pallikaris also developed Epi-LASIK. Professor Palikaris was t ...

that removes corneal epithelial cells in preparation for

photorefractive keratectomy Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and laser-assisted sub-epithelial keratectomy (or laser epithelial keratomileusis) (LASEK) are laser eye surgery procedures intended to correct a person's vision, reducing dependency on glasses or contact lenses. ...

. Another development of his in 1970, was the diamond

vitrectomy Vitrectomy is a surgery to remove some or all of the vitreous humor from the eye. Anterior vitrectomy entails removing small portions of the vitreous humor from the front structures of the eye—often because these are tangled in an intraocular ...

cutter, various instruments enabling micro-control of blade depth in radial keratotomy, as well as the oval comparator, or astigmometer, to control astigmatism after cataract surgery.

Career

Born, raised, and educated in

Johannesburg, South Africa Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

, Amoils briefly studied

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...

prior to attending

medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...

at the

University of Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( or ). The university ...

where he earned his MB and BCh in 1956.Nalisha Kalideen
"The man who made Madiba weep."
Independent Online. September 28, 2006. Accessed October 27, 2006.
Accessed October 27, 2006. His specialist training was with Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto,

Moorfields Eye Hospital Moorfields Eye Hospital is a specialist NHS eye hospital in Finsbury in the London Borough of Islington in London, England run by Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Together with the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, which is adjacent ...

in London, and

Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Massachusetts Eye and Ear (Mass. Eye and Ear, or MEE) is a specialty hospital located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, which focuses on ophthalmology (eye), otolaryngology (ear/nose/throat), and related medicine and research. Founded in 1 ...

as a Clinical Fellow and research scientist specializing in

retinal diseases The retina (from la, rete "net") is the innermost, light-sensitive layer of tissue of the eye of most vertebrates and some Mollusca, molluscs. The optics of the eye create a Focus (optics), focused two-dimensional image of the visual world on ...

and surgery and

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that result in damage to the optic nerve (or retina) and cause vision loss. The most common type is open-angle (wide angle, chronic simple) glaucoma, in which the drainage angle for fluid within the eye rem ...

. He advanced

cryosurgery Cryosurgery is the use of extreme cold in surgery to destroy abnormal or diseased tissue; thus, it is the surgical application of cryoablation. The term comes from the Greek words cryo (κρύο) ("icy cold") and surgery (''cheirourgiki'' – χ� ...

for cataracts and retinal detachments during 1962 at Baragwanath hospital in Soweto. This led to the Joule-Thomson effect cryoprobe in 1965, using carbon dioxide or nitrous oxide to cool the probe, which could then be reheated electrically, or by warm gas to release the probe if the resulting iceball also adhered to the iris; this dramatically changed cataract and retinal surgery. Amoils achieved wide recognition for his invention and in 1975 received a Queen's Award for Technological Innovation. His cryoprobe has since been on display in the Kensington Museum in London. In 1994, Amoils removed a cataract from South African President

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

's left eye."Mandela Has Surgery To Remove Cataract."
New York Times. July 14, 1994. Accessed October 20, 2006. In 2006, President

Thabo Mbeki Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki KStJ (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who was the second president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Congress (ANC ...

awarded him the silver

Order of Mapungubwe The Order of Mapungubwe is South Africa's highest honour. It was instituted on 6 December 2002, and is granted by the President of South Africa, for achievements in the international arena which have served South Africa's interests. The order orig ...

for "excellence in the field of ophthalmology and for inspiring his colleagues in the field of science".

Publications

* ''Cryosurgery in ophthalmology'' (Textbook) Pitman Medical (1975)

References

* ''Sandton Chronicle'' report by Gillian Redmond 6 October 2006 * American Jewish Year Book, 1983, p. 271; online a

External links

Innovative Excimer Solutions Inc.

List of published papers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amoils, Selig 1933 births Living people South African ophthalmologists South African Jews Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons South African inventors