FRII-05 THE CONTRIBUTION OF SIR THOMAS SPENCER WELLS TO UROLOGY

Abstract

You have accessJournal of UrologyHistory of Urology: History Forum II1 Apr 2016FRII-05 THE CONTRIBUTION OF SIR THOMAS SPENCER WELLS TO UROLOGY Michael Wanis and Jonathan Goddard Michael WanisMichael Wanis More articles by this author and Jonathan GoddardJonathan Goddard More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2016.02.2926AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Sir Thomas Spencer Wells, from St Alban's in Hertfodshire, was originally a naval surgeon, serving in Malta, before establishing his own practice in London in 1853. He is most notably recognized in the world of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Ophthalmology. Between 1863 and 1896 he became Surgeon to Queen Victoria’s Household. Although his contribution to Urology is less well known, he was a founding member of St Peter’s Hospital for Stone in London in 1860, the first hospital specialized in the treatment of urological diseases in Britain. METHODS A literature search was performed on the contribution of Spencer Wells in Urology on Medline, Embase, Google Scholar, Public Records Library, UCLH Trust Archives and the Archives of the Royal Society of Medicine. Information was also obtained from published history textbooks of St Peter’s Hospital. RESULTS In 1860 Sir Thomas Spencer Wells, along with Reverend AB Whatton, Mr TP Oldershaw and Mr Armstrong Todd gathered at 16 Burlington Street, the home of Mr Todd. There they discussed the establishment of a hospital for the cure of urinary stone disease. The committee concluded that Wells and Armstrong would be Chief Surgeons at the hospital. Wells subsequently published a paper in the press supporting the need for a specialist hospital for urinary disease. From 1860 to 1862 Wells was diligent in both his duties as a surgeon and member of the committee, which continued to meet on a weekly basis. He conducted regular operating lists and twice weekly clinics. In 1862 Wells departed from St Peter’s Hospital to dedicate himself to Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Samaritan Free Hospital For Women. In his resignation letter he stated that his dedication to the Samaritan Hospital meant he could not devote adequate time to the running of another new hospital. He also expressed his best wishes for the future of St Peter’s Hospital. His job at St Peter’s remained vacant for two years until Walter John Coulson took up the post. During his work at the Samaritan Hospital Wells was one of the first surgeons to recognize the risk and significance of urinary tract injury whilst pioneering ovarian cystectomy. After he died in 1897, the committee at St Peter’s Hospital acknowledged that Wells continued to take a keen interest in the welfare of the hospital throughout his career until his death. CONCLUSIONS Sir Thomas Spencer Wells was a founding member of St Peter’s Hospital and continued to contribute to Urology throughout his career. St Peter's Hospital was one of the first specialist hospitals in London at the time and thus its establishment was a catalyst for the development of Urology as a specialty in its own right. © 2016FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 195Issue 4SApril 2016Page: e522 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2016MetricsAuthor Information Michael Wanis More articles by this author Jonathan Goddard More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...