Timothy Richards Lewis (31 October 1841 – 7 May 1886) was a Welsh surgeon and

pathologist Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

who worked in India on several aspects of tropical medicine. He worked during the early period when the role of pathogenic organisms in disease were beginning to triumph over the older

miasma theory The miasma theory (also called the miasmic theory) is an abandoned medical theory that held that diseases—such as cholera, chlamydia, or plague—were caused by a ''miasma'' (, Ancient Greek for 'pollution'), a noxious form of "bad air", a ...

. He was one of the first to identify the role of

nematode The nematodes ( or ; ; ), roundworms or eelworms constitute the phylum Nematoda. Species in the phylum inhabit a broad range of environments. Most species are free-living, feeding on microorganisms, but many are parasitic. Parasitic worms (h ...

worms in

filariasis Filariasis is a filarial infection caused by parasitic nematodes (roundworms) spread by different vectors. They are included in the list of neglected tropical diseases. The most common type is lymphatic filariasis caused by three species o ...

. His studies include those on

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

trypanosoma ''Trypanosoma'' is a genus of kinetoplastids (class Trypanosomatidae), a monophyletic group of unicellular parasitic flagellate protozoa. Trypanosoma is part of the phylum Euglenozoa. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek ''trypano-'' (b ...

, and fungal infections. Lewis is one of 23 researchers whose names are included in a frieze at the entrance of the

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a public university, public research university in Bloomsbury, central London, and a constituent college, member institution of the University of London that specialises in public hea ...

Life

He was born at Llanboidy,

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...

to William Lewis and Britania née Richards and he grew up on the family farm at Pembrokeshire. After studying at Narberth National School the grammar school run by Joseph and William Edward Morris he apprenticed to a Narberth chemist. He moved to London when he was nineteen and worked as a chemist in Streatham and later at the German Hospital where he picked up the German language. He also attended lectures at the

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

, received a Fellowes silver medal in 1866 and qualified from

Aberdeen University The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in post-nominals; ) is a public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bishop of Aberdeen and Chancellor of Scotland, petitioned Pope Al ...

in 1867. In 1868 Lewis joined the army service at

Netley Hospital The Royal Victoria Hospital or Netley Hospital was a large British Military Hospital, military hospital in Netley, near Southampton, Hampshire, England. Construction started in 1856 at the suggestion of Queen Victoria but its design caused some ...

and rose to the position of a surgeon-major. He worked for three months at Munich with

Max von Pettenkofer Max Joseph Pettenkofer, ennobled in 1883 as Max Joseph von Pettenkofer (3 December 1818 – 10 February 1901) was a Bavarian chemist and hygienist. He is known for his work in practical hygiene, as an apostle of good water, fresh air and proper ...

and then was posted to

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

in 1869. In Calcutta he worked with

David Douglas Cunningham David Douglas Cunningham (29 September 1843 – 31 December 1914) was a Scottish medical doctor and researcher who worked extensively in India on various aspects of public health and medicine. He studied the spread of bacteria and the spores o ...

. In 1883 he returned to England and worked as a Professor of Pathology at Netley. In 1885 he served as honorary secretary of a committee to study

Koch Koch may refer to: People * Koch (surname), people with this surname * Koch dynasty, a dynasty in Assam and Bengal, north east India * Koch family * Koch people (or Koche), an ethnic group originally from the ancient Koch kingdom in north east In ...

's discovery of cholera. Lewis and his committee members (

Heneage Gibbes Heneage Gibbes (1837 – July 18, 1912) was a British pathologist known for his histological studies. He moved to the United States where he served as a professor of pathology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Gibbes was born in Berrow, ...

and Emanuel Klein) submitted an official refutation of Koch's study which may have involved not just science but the position of government officials (such as Sir Joseph Fayrer and J.M. Cuningham), several of whom opposed the contagion theory which would lead the implementation of quarantine regulations that would come greatly in the way of trade and movement. He died on 7 May 1886 of pneumonia, suspected to have been contracted in a laboratory accident.

Works

Pettenkofer had suggested that soil conditions helped in cholera outbreaks while

Ernst Hallier Ernst Hallier (15 November 1831, in Hamburg – 19 December 1904, in Dachau) was a German botanist and mycologist. As a young man he was trained as a gardener, later studying botany at the universities of Berlin, Jena and Göttingen. From 1858 he ...

of Jena had suggested that it was caused by a fungus. Lewis tried to examine these hypotheses making studies of meteorological conditions and examining the stools of infected patients. A study with Cunningham was made on fungal skin infections. While making studies of chyluria, Lewis noticed worms in the urine of a patient which was later found to be filaria and were independently discovered and described by

Joseph Bancroft Joseph Bancroft (21 February 1836 – 16 June 1894) was a surgeon, pharmacology, pharmacologist and parasitology, parasitologist born in England, who emigrated to Queensland, Australia. Early life Bancroft was born in Stretford, near Manchester, ...

. Lewis examined microscopic organisms in the blood of birds and mammals, and named several species of microbes including a trypanosome, ''

Trypanosoma lewisi ''Trypanosoma lewisi'' is a globally distributed parasite of ''Rattus'' species and other rodents such as mice, and of kangaroo rats in America. Among these host species were two endemic species of rats: ''Maclear's rat, Rattus macleari'' and ''B ...

'', from a rat.

Family

Lewis married Emily Frances née Brown on 8 October 1879.

Publications

(1888) Physiological and pathological researches; being a reprint of the principal scientific writings of the late T. R. Lewis. In memoriam. Arranged and ed. by Sir William Aitken, G. E. Dobson, and A. E. Brown

Lewis, T.R. and D.D. Cunningham (1877) Leprosy in India

Lewis, T.R. and D.D. Cunningham (1877) The 'Oriental Sore,' as observed in India.

Lewis, T.R. and D.D. Cunningham (1875) The soil in its relationto disease. A report of observations.

Lewis, T.R. (1874) The pathological significance of nematode haematozoa. Calcutta: Government Press.

Lewis, T.R. and D.D. Cunningham (1874) A report of microscopical and physiological researches into the nature of the agent or agents producing cholera.

Lewis, T.R. (1870) A report on the microscopic objects found in Cholera evacuations, &c.

References

External links

Netley Military Cemetery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Timothy Richards British pathologists 1841 births 1886 deaths