Sir James William Tudor Thomas universally known as Tudor Thomas (23 May 1893 – 23 January 1976) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

ophthalmic surgeon 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 ...

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

Thomas was born in

Ystradgynlais Ystradgynlais (, ) is a town on the River Tawe in southwest Powys, Wales. It is the second-largest town in Powys and is in the historic county of Brecknockshire. The town has a high proportion of Welsh language-speakers. The community includes ...

, Swansea, Wales in 1893. He was educated at the Welsh School of Medicine in Cardiff, and the

Middlesex Hospital Middlesex Hospital was a teaching hospital located in the Fitzrovia area of London, England. First opened as the Middlesex Infirmary in 1745 on Windmill Street, it was moved in 1757 to Mortimer Street where it remained until it was finally clo ...

in London.Davies, (2008) page 868 He specialised in eye surgery from an early point of his medical career. He served in the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps ...

during World War I. After the war he worked for a time as a clinical assistant at the

Royal London Ophthalmic 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 ...

(Moorfields) before returning to Wales to work as an ophthalmic surgeon. In 1921 he was appointed Ophthalmic Surgeon at

Cardiff Royal Infirmary Cardiff Royal Infirmary ( cy, Ysbyty Brenhinol Caerdydd) (also known as the CRI or YBC) is a hospital in central Cardiff, Wales. It is managed by the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. History The hospital has its origins in the Cardiff ...

and United Cardiff Hospitals and served there for 37 years. He was also a clinical teacher for the Welsh National School of Medicine. It was while at the School of Medicine that he undertook his pioneering work in

corneal graft Corneal transplantation, also known as corneal grafting, is a surgical procedure where a damaged or diseased cornea is replaced by donated corneal tissue (the graft). When the entire cornea is replaced it is known as penetrating keratoplasty ...

ing. 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.London Gazette
31 May 1956 In 1938 he had married Bronwen Vaughan Pugh; they had two sons.

Bibliography

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Tudor 1893 births 1976 deaths Welsh surgeons People from Swansea British ophthalmologists Knights Bachelor Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons 20th-century Welsh medical doctors 20th-century surgeons