Peter Henry Jones (1 March 1917 – 30 July 1984), was born in

Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...

and is best known for his role in assisting Sir Clement Price Thomas in the

pneumonectomy A pneumonectomy (or pneumectomy) is a surgical procedure to remove a lung. It was first successfully performed in 1933 by Dr. Evarts Graham. This is not to be confused with a lobectomy or segmentectomy, which only removes one part of the lung. T ...

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...

in 1951. He subsequently remained professionally close to Price Thomas, pursuing a career in cardiothoracic surgery.

Early life

Jones was educated in Pontypool at Haberdashers' Aske's West Monmouth School.

Medical career

Jones studies medicine at King's College, London and qualified with MRCS,

LRCP The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of p ...

from

Westminster Hospital Medical School The Westminster Hospital Medical School was one of the constituent medical schools of Imperial College School of Medicine. It was formally founded in 1834 by George Guthrie, an ex-military surgeon – although students had been taken on at Wes ...

in 1939. He stayed on at the hospital to complete his junior house posts. Between 1942 and 1946, he joined the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) was a specialist corps in the British Army which provided medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. On 15 November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army De ...

as a regimental medical officer to a field artillery regiment in North Africa and Italy. He witnessed the Salerno landing and the attack on

Monte Cassino The Abbey of Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a Catholic Church, Catholic, Benedictines, Benedictine monastery on a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Valle Latina, Latin Valley. Located on the site of the ancient ...

. Declining an elevation in rank, he opted to endure the rest of the war along with his regiment. Returning to England in 1946, Jones continued his surgical training and passed the

FRCS Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional certification, professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an wikt:intercollegiate, ...

in 1948. Afterwards, he joined the surgical team under Sir Clement Price Thomas at the

Brompton Hospital Royal Brompton Hospital is the largest specialist heart and lung medical centre in the United Kingdom. It is managed by Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. History Consumption in the 19th century In the 19th century, consumption was a co ...

and

Westminster Hospital Westminster Hospital was a hospital in London, England, founded in 1719. In 1834 a medical school attached to the hospital was formally founded. In 1939 a newly built hospital and medical school opened in Horseferry Road, Westminster. In 1994 the ...

s. Baguley and Davyhulme Hospitals appointed Jones as thoracic surgeon in 1955 and

Manchester Royal Infirmary Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) is a large NHS teaching hospital in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, England. Founded by Charles White in 1752 as part of the voluntary hospital movement of the 18th century, it is now a major regional and nati ...

took him on in 1960. Also, in 1960, Jones attended the Presbyterian Hospital in San Francisco to learn new techniques in open heart surgery. After spending six months with Dr Frank Gerbode, he returned to Westminster Hospital as thoracic surgeon. As Hunterian Professor, he gave a lecture on bronchial sleeve resection in 1958.

Sir Clement Price Thomas

In 1951, Jones spent three weeks as resident surgeon in

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

. On 23 September 1951, whilst still in the palace, he had assisted Price Thomas with the pneumonectomy on King George VI’s lung cancer. In return, he was awarded the MVO. The surgery has since been researched and re-enacted by real surgeons in

Stephen Daldry Stephen David Daldry Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 2 May 1960) is an English director and producer of film, theatre, and television. He has won three Tony Awards for his work on Broadway theatre, Broadway and an Olivie ...

The Crown (TV series) ''The Crown'' is a historical drama television series about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, created and principally written by Peter Morgan and produced by Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television for Netflix. Morgan developed the ...

Later life

Jones enjoyed fishing and antique clocks.

Coronary artery disease Coronary artery disease (CAD), also called coronary heart disease (CHD), or ischemic heart disease (IHD), is a type of cardiovascular disease, heart disease involving Ischemia, the reduction of blood flow to the cardiac muscle due to a build-up ...

and an illness resulting in loss of voice limited his activities and resulted in his premature retirement. He died on 30 July 1984 leaving his wife Monica, two children and four grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Peter 1917 births 1984 deaths History of surgery 20th-century British surgeons