Thomas Porter McMurray (1887 – 1949) was a British orthopaedic surgeon.
Esteemed English orthopaedic surgeon based in Liverpool. McMurray was honoured by the presidencies of the British Orthopaedic Association and the Liverpool Medical Institution, and was president-elect of the British Medical Association. He continued the teaching traditions laid down by Hugh Owen Thomas (1834 – 1891) and Robert Jones (1857 – 1933).
McMurray exemplified British reluctance to commit clinical observation to writing until confirmed after many years. His writings were therefore few, but they were important.
Eponymously affiliated with the McMurray test first published 1928
Biography
- Born 5 December 1887, Belfast
- 1910 – MB ChB BAO Belfast
- 1911 – Commenced work in Royal Southern Hospital, Liverpool as a house-surgeon to Sir Robert Jones (1857 – 1933)
- 1914 – Captain in RAMC
- 1915 – Alder Hey Military Orthopaedic Hospital, Liverpool
- 1923 – FRCS Edinburgh
- 1924 – Lecturer in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Liverpool
- 1930 – Director of orthopaedic studies at David Lewis Northern Hospital, Royal Liverpool Children’s Hospital, Ministry of Pensions Hospital taking over from Robert Jones
- 1939 – Liverpool’s first professor of orthopaedics
- 1941 – McMurray’s rooms, instruments and mementos of predecessors were completely destroyed by a German bomb In May 1941
- 1946 – Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE)
- Died 16 November 1949, London
When doing nothing he did it thoroughly, and to see him sitting in the sun at his beloved Ystrad cottage, gazing at the Denbighshire hills, was an education in relaxation.
BL McFarland 1949
Medical Eponyms
McMurray test (1928)
The McMurray test is used to evaluate individuals for tears in the meniscus of the knee. It was first described in 1928 by McMurray and refined in his 1934, 1942 and 1948 publications. There are myriad variations of the test described.
Major Publications
- McMurray TP. The diagnosis of internal derangements of the knee. In: The Robert Jones Birthday Volume. A collection of surgical essays. Oxford Medical Press. 1928: 301-306 [McMurray test]
- McMurray TP. Certain injuries in the knee-joint. Br Med J. 1934; 1(3824): 709-13. [McMurray test]
- McMurray TP. The life of Hugh Owen Thomas. Liverpool medico-chirurgical journal. 1935; 43: 3-41
- McMurray TP. A Practice Of Orthopaedic Surgery. 1937 (3e 1949)
- McMurray TP. Surgery of Deformities Resulting from War Injuries of the Extremities. Postgrad Med J. 1940; 16(175): 168-73.
- McMurray TP. The semilunar cartilages. Br J Surg, 1942; 29: 407–414 [McMurray test]
- McMurray TP. Delay in the Union of Fractures. Br Med J. 1942; 1(4226): 8-9.
- McMurray TP. Thomas and his splint. Br Med J. 1946; 1: 872-5.
- McMurray TP. Internal Derangements of the Knee Joint. Ann R Coll Surg Engl 1948; 3: 210-219. [McMurray test]
References
- Biography: McMurray, Thomas Porter (1887 – 1949). Plarr’s Lives of the Fellows Online. Royal College of Surgeons of England.
- Obituary: “THOMAS PORTER McMURRAY, C.B.E., M.Ch., F.R.C.S.” Bone & Joint Journal 1949; 31-B.4: 618-619.
- McFarland B. The life and work of Thomas Porter McMurray. Liverpool University Press 1958.
- Mostofi SB. Who’s Who in Orthopedics. Springer; 2005: 229-230
eponym
the person behind the name
Emergency physician MA (Oxon) MBChB (Edin) FACEM FFSEM with a passion for rugby; medical history; medical education; and informatics. Asynchronous learning #FOAMed evangelist. Co-founder and CTO of Life in the Fast lane
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