Thomas Thomas (29 August 1917 – 31 October 1998) was the first cardio-thoracic surgeon of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n citizenship, as well as a prolific author and poet.

Life

He was trained by Reeve H. Betts in cardio-thoracic surgery at the Christian Medical College in

Vellore Vellore ( ), also spelled Velur, is a sprawling city and the administrative headquarters of Vellore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Palar River and surrounded by the Javadi Hills in the northeastern ...

, India. He studied at Madras Christian College,

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

, and did his medical training at

Stanley Medical College Stanley Medical College (SMC) is a public university, public medical school, medical college located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Though the original hospital is more than 200 years old, the medical college was formally established on 2 July ...

, Tamil Nadu. He was the first surgeon in South Asia to do a mitral valvulotomy. He was awarded a

Rockefeller Fellowship The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller ("Seni ...

and did further medical research in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. He later taught in hospitals in

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

, and

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

. A prolific writer, he funded his medical studies by writing short stories that were published in the literary magazine ''Caravan''. He wrote poetry, short stories and several novels. Several of these are set in Kerala. His non-medical works include a book on

Sister Alphonsa Saint Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception (19 August 1910 – 28 July 1946), born as Anna Muttathupadathu, was an Indian Catholic nun and educator. She is the first woman of Indian origin to be canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church, and t ...

. This book played a role in helping the case for her canonisation. His poetry has been read on the radio in

Sydney, Australia Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about 80 km (50 mi) from the Pacific Ocean ...

. In his later years, his poetry dealt with the themes of blindness and the nature of an expatriate's identity. His medical publications include "Results of Resection for Pulmonary Tuberculosis", ''Indian Journal of Tuberculosis'' Vol. III, New Delhi, March, 1956. No. 3. He died at the age of 81 in Sydney.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Thomas 1917 births 1998 deaths Indian surgeons Indian medical writers Malayali people Medical doctors from Kerala Rockefeller Fellows 20th-century Indian medical doctors