Sir William Stokes (surgeon)
Sir William Stokes (1839-1900) was an Irish surgeon
Stokes was an eminent Irish surgeon, professor of surgery, and prolific medical writer. A leader in operative and clinical surgery in late 19th-century Ireland, he upheld and extended the distinguished medical legacy of his father, the renowned physician William Stokes (1804–1878). Knighted in 1886, Stokes played key roles in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and served as surgeon-in-ordinary to Queen Victoria in Ireland.
Stokes trained in Dublin and undertook further medical study across Europe, including Paris, Berlin, Vienna, and Prague. He began his surgical career at the Meath Hospital in 1864 and later led surgical services at the Richmond Hospital. In 1872, he was appointed professor of surgery at RCSI, where he taught for nearly three decades, later serving as its president (1886–87). He authored key surgical papers and clinical addresses, establishing himself as a gifted teacher and orator.
His operative innovations included a method of supracondyloid amputation at the knee, and he contributed significantly to the evolving understanding of laryngeal disease, testicular pathology, and bone surgery. In 1898, he published a biographical study of his father, William Stokes: His Life and Work, in the Masters of Medicine series.
In 1900, during the Second Boer War, Stokes was appointed consulting surgeon to British forces in South Africa. He died from pleurisy on August 18, 1900, in Pietermaritzburg, and was buried at Fort Napier military cemetery.
Biography
- 1839 – Born March 10 in Dublin, second son of William Stokes (1804–1878).
- 1859 – Graduated BA from Trinity College Dublin.
- 1861 – Awarded gold medal by the Pathological Society of Dublin.
- 1863 – Earned M.B., M.D., and M.Ch. from Trinity College; thesis on diseases of the knee joint.
- 1864 – Appointed surgeon to Meath Hospital, Dublin.
- 1868 – Resigned Meath post; became surgeon at the House of Industry Hospitals, including Richmond.
- 1872 – Elected Professor of Surgery at RCSI.
- 1874 – Became Fellow of RCSI.
- 1881 – President of Pathological Society of Ireland.
- 1882 – Delivered Address in Surgery at BMA Jubilee in Worcester.
- 1886 – Knighted by the Earl of Aberdeen; elected President of RCSI.
- 1888 – Returned to Meath Hospital.
- 1892 – Appointed Surgeon-in-Ordinary to Queen Victoria in Ireland.
- 1898 – Published biography of his father William Stokes, his life and work.
- 1900 – Appointed consulting surgeon to British forces in South Africa.
- 1900 – Died August 18 in Pietermaritzburg, Natal; buried Fort Napier military cemetery.
Key Medical Contributions
- Surgical innovation – Developed a supracondyloid knee amputation preserving the quadriceps insertion.
- Educational leadership – Professor of Surgery at RCSI (1872–1900); President of RCSI (1886–87).
- Published works – Contributions to Practical Surgery (1865); Selected Papers on Operative and Clinical Surgery (posthumous, 1902); numerous journal contributions.
- Biography of his father William Stokes – Authored William Stokes: His Life and Work (1898).
- International lecturer and examiner – Examiner in surgery at Oxford, Queen’s University (Ireland), and the Dublin colleges.
Major Publications
- Stokes W. Contributions to practical surgery. 1865
- Stokes W. On temporary deligation of the abdominal aorta. 1869
- Stokes W. Address in Surgery. Churchill. 1882
- Stokes W. Contributions to the operative surgery of the tongue, jaws, and palate. 1883
- Stokes W. On penetrating wounds of the bladder. 1883
- Stokes W. On the therapeutic value of nerve-stretching in tabes dorsalis. 1883
- Stokes W. Finality in surgery: an address delivered in the Surgical Section of the Academy of Medicine. 1886
- Stokes W. Operations on the thyroid gland. 1891
- Stokes W. The ethics of operative surgery. 1894
- Stokes W. Remarks on cases of renal surgery. 1895
- Stokes W. Bone tunneling and drainage in the early stages of tubercular coxitis. 1896
- Stokes W. On the diagnosis and treatment of fractures of the neck of the femur. 1898
- Stokes W. William Stokes, his life and work (1804-1878). London: Unwin. 1898
References
- Sir William Stokes. The Cyclopedic review of current history. 1900;10(8):780
- Sir William Stokes. Medical Record. 1900; 58: 38
- Sir William Stokes. Biographisches Lexikon hervorragender Ärzte
- Sir William Stokes. Dictionary of National Biography 1901; 3: 363-364
Eponym
the person behind the name
