Henry Souttar
Encyclopedia
Sir Henry Sessions Souttar, (December 14, 1875 – November 12, 1964), was a surgeon with a wide breadth of interests. He trained first as a mathematician and engineer. His engineer’s training enabled him to design and make new types of surgical instrument. His mathematical training made him a leader in setting out the first British guidelines for Radiotherapy. In 1925 he pioneered “blind” open heart surgery
on a patient with congenital heart defect
. This was not repeated until 1948.
on December 14, 1875, the only son of Robinson Souttar, Member of Parliament for Dumfries
(1895–1900), and his wife Mary. He was educated at Oxford high school and Queen's College, Oxford (1895–8). He gained a double first in mathematics
and also studied engineering
. In 1904 he married Catharine Edith, daughter of Robert Bellamy Clifton, professor of experimental philosophy at Oxford. They had a son and a daughter.
Souttar qualified in medicine at the London Hospital, where he became MRCS
, LRCP in 1906. He became FRCS
in 1909 and was appointed as a surgical registrar
. He joined the staff of the West London Hospital and in 1915 he became assistant surgeon to the London Hospital.
At the outbreak of war in 1914 Souttar was appointed surgeon to the Belgian
field hospital at Antwerp. He was awarded the Order of the Crown of Belgium
, and later he was appointed CBE
.
Souttar applied his mathematical background and his engineering skills to his surgery. He had his own workshop where he designed and made many surgical instruments, with the aim of improving existing operative procedures. His inventions included: a flanged tube to overcome obstructions in the gullet, a steam cautery
to sterilize and clean breaking-down tumours and ulcers on the skin, and a craniotome
to open the skull in brain operations.
With the introduction of radium
in the treatment of malignant tumours, Souttar’s mathematical skill in assessing both dose and range was very valuable and he chaired many committees on this subject. He designed a 'gun' by which radon
seeds could be implanted in or around a tumour.
Souttar's most famous innovation was in heart surgery. In 1925 surgery of the chest was in its infancy and operations on the valves of the heart were unknown. Souttar operated successfully on a young woman with Mitral valve disease, devising a new procedure. He made an opening in the appendage of the left atrium
and inserted a finger in order to explore and correct the damaged mitral valve. This was a pioneer operation. The patient survived for several years and the operation is regarded as a great landmark in cardiac surgery
. He was only permitted to do the operation once. Souttar’s physician colleagues at that time decided the procedure was not justified and he could not continue. The next operations of this type were done by others in 1948.
Souttar was instrumental in the foundation of the faculties of Dental surgery and Anaesthetists at the Royal College of Surgeons.
After his retirement in 1947 from the London Hospital Souttar retained his active interest in surgery. Following the death of his first wife in 1959, Souttar married again in 1963; his second wife was Amy Bessie, widow of Harry Douglas Wigdahl. Souttar died at his London home on 12 November 1964; the funeral service was held at St Marylebone Church, of which he had been a churchwarden
for many years.
Souttar was a good linguist and a competent musician. He is said to have made a violin which he himself played. He illustrated his own textbook, The Art of Surgery (1929). He was a very tall and powerfully built man, dark in his younger days, and impressive looking. He was noted for his extreme courtesy and kindness, and for his ingenuity and ideas.
Member of council 1933 to 1949
Vice-president 1943–4.
Bradshaw lecturer 1943
Hunterian orator 1949
British Medical Association
President 1945–6
Honorary fellow
American college of surgeons
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
Trinity College, Dublin
Awarded him an honorary MD
1933
Knight
ed 1949
Cardiac surgery
Cardiovascular surgery is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. Frequently, it is done to treat complications of ischemic heart disease , correct congenital heart disease, or treat valvular heart disease from various causes including endocarditis, rheumatic heart...
on a patient with congenital heart defect
Congenital heart defect
A congenital heart defect is a defect in the structure of the heart and great vessels which is present at birth. Many types of heart defects exist, most of which either obstruct blood flow in the heart or vessels near it, or cause blood to flow through the heart in an abnormal pattern. Other...
. This was not repeated until 1948.
Biography
Henry Sessions Souttar was born at BirkenheadBirkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
on December 14, 1875, the only son of Robinson Souttar, Member of Parliament for Dumfries
Dumfriesshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Dumfriesshire was a county constituency represented in the of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until 2005. It was known as Dumfries from 1950...
(1895–1900), and his wife Mary. He was educated at Oxford high school and Queen's College, Oxford (1895–8). He gained a double first in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and also studied engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
. In 1904 he married Catharine Edith, daughter of Robert Bellamy Clifton, professor of experimental philosophy at Oxford. They had a son and a daughter.
Souttar qualified in medicine at the London Hospital, where he became MRCS
Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons
MRCS is a professional qualification for surgeons in the UK and IrelandIt means Member of the Royal College of Surgeons. In the United Kingdom, doctors who gain this qualification traditionally no longer use the title 'Dr' but start to use the title 'Mr', 'Mrs', 'Miss' or 'Ms'.There are 4 surgical...
, LRCP in 1906. He became FRCS
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons is a professional qualification to practise as a surgeon in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland...
in 1909 and was appointed as a surgical registrar
Specialist registrar
A Specialist Registrar or SpR is a doctor in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland who is receiving advanced training in a specialist field of medicine in order eventually to become a consultant...
. He joined the staff of the West London Hospital and in 1915 he became assistant surgeon to the London Hospital.
At the outbreak of war in 1914 Souttar was appointed surgeon to the Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
field hospital at Antwerp. He was awarded the Order of the Crown of Belgium
Order of the Crown (Belgium)
The Order of the Crown is an Order of Belgium which was created on 15 October 1897 by King Leopold II in his capacity as ruler of the Congo Free State. The order was first intended to recognize heroic deeds and distinguished service achieved from service in the Congo Free State - many of which acts...
, and later he was appointed CBE
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
.
Souttar applied his mathematical background and his engineering skills to his surgery. He had his own workshop where he designed and made many surgical instruments, with the aim of improving existing operative procedures. His inventions included: a flanged tube to overcome obstructions in the gullet, a steam cautery
Cauterization
The medical practice or technique of cauterization is the burning of part of a body to remove or close off a part of it in a process called cautery, which destroys some tissue, in an attempt to mitigate damage, remove an undesired growth, or minimize other potential medical harmful possibilities...
to sterilize and clean breaking-down tumours and ulcers on the skin, and a craniotome
Craniotome (tool)
Craniotome is a tool for drilling holes in the skull. Generally equipped with a clutch which automatically disengages once the skull has been drilled through completely, thus preventing tears in the dura.-External links:*...
to open the skull in brain operations.
With the introduction of radium
Radium
Radium is a chemical element with atomic number 88, represented by the symbol Ra. Radium is an almost pure-white alkaline earth metal, but it readily oxidizes on exposure to air, becoming black in color. All isotopes of radium are highly radioactive, with the most stable isotope being radium-226,...
in the treatment of malignant tumours, Souttar’s mathematical skill in assessing both dose and range was very valuable and he chaired many committees on this subject. He designed a 'gun' by which radon
Radon
Radon is a chemical element with symbol Rn and atomic number 86. It is a radioactive, colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas, occurring naturally as the decay product of uranium or thorium. Its most stable isotope, 222Rn, has a half-life of 3.8 days...
seeds could be implanted in or around a tumour.
Souttar's most famous innovation was in heart surgery. In 1925 surgery of the chest was in its infancy and operations on the valves of the heart were unknown. Souttar operated successfully on a young woman with Mitral valve disease, devising a new procedure. He made an opening in the appendage of the left atrium
Left atrium
The left atrium is one of the four chambers in the human heart. It receives oxygenated blood from the pulmonary veins, and pumps it into the left ventricle, via the mitral valve.-Foramen ovale:...
and inserted a finger in order to explore and correct the damaged mitral valve. This was a pioneer operation. The patient survived for several years and the operation is regarded as a great landmark in cardiac surgery
Cardiac surgery
Cardiovascular surgery is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. Frequently, it is done to treat complications of ischemic heart disease , correct congenital heart disease, or treat valvular heart disease from various causes including endocarditis, rheumatic heart...
. He was only permitted to do the operation once. Souttar’s physician colleagues at that time decided the procedure was not justified and he could not continue. The next operations of this type were done by others in 1948.
Souttar was instrumental in the foundation of the faculties of Dental surgery and Anaesthetists at the Royal College of Surgeons.
After his retirement in 1947 from the London Hospital Souttar retained his active interest in surgery. Following the death of his first wife in 1959, Souttar married again in 1963; his second wife was Amy Bessie, widow of Harry Douglas Wigdahl. Souttar died at his London home on 12 November 1964; the funeral service was held at St Marylebone Church, of which he had been a churchwarden
Churchwarden
A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish church or congregation of the Anglican Communion, usually working as a part-time volunteer. Holders of these positions are ex officio members of the parish board, usually called a vestry, parish council, parochial church council, or in the case of a...
for many years.
Souttar was a good linguist and a competent musician. He is said to have made a violin which he himself played. He illustrated his own textbook, The Art of Surgery (1929). He was a very tall and powerfully built man, dark in his younger days, and impressive looking. He was noted for his extreme courtesy and kindness, and for his ingenuity and ideas.
Honours
Royal College of SurgeonsMember of council 1933 to 1949
Vice-president 1943–4.
Bradshaw lecturer 1943
Hunterian orator 1949
British Medical Association
British Medical Association
The British Medical Association is the professional association and registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association’s headquarters are located in BMA House,...
President 1945–6
Honorary fellow
American college of surgeons
American College of Surgeons
The American College of Surgeons is an educational association of surgeons created in 1913 to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient by setting high standards for surgical education and practice.-Membership:...
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons is the body responsible for training and examining surgeons in Australia and New Zealand. The head office of the College is in Melbourne, Australia....
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
Awarded him an honorary MD
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
1933
Knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed 1949