Thomas Snow Beck
Encyclopedia
Thomas Snow Beck FRCS
FRS (1814 – 6 January 1877) was a British doctor
and surgeon
. He qualified as a doctor in London. In 1845, he was awarded the Royal Society's Royal Medal
for his unpublished paper entitled On the nerves of the uterus. The paper was later published, but the award was disputed by the London-resident Scottish surgeon Robert Lee
, who had published an earlier paper on the subject and reached different conclusions. This controversy led to reform of the award process for the Royal Medal, and is thought to have contributed to the resignation of both the President and Secretary of the Royal Society. Beck also carried out other work on nerves, including work in 1846 on differentiation between white and gray rami
. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society
in 1851.
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...
FRS (1814 – 6 January 1877) was a British doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
. He qualified as a doctor in London. In 1845, he was awarded the Royal Society's Royal Medal
Royal Medal
The Royal Medal, also known as The Queen's Medal, is a silver-gilt medal awarded each year by the Royal Society, two for "the most important contributions to the advancement of natural knowledge" and one for "distinguished contributions in the applied sciences" made within the Commonwealth of...
for his unpublished paper entitled On the nerves of the uterus. The paper was later published, but the award was disputed by the London-resident Scottish surgeon Robert Lee
Robert Lee (midwifery)
Robert Lee FRS was Regius Professor of Midwifery at the University of Glasgow in 1834. He held the Chair for the shortest period of any holder to date, resigning from his position immediately after giving his opening address....
, who had published an earlier paper on the subject and reached different conclusions. This controversy led to reform of the award process for the Royal Medal, and is thought to have contributed to the resignation of both the President and Secretary of the Royal Society. Beck also carried out other work on nerves, including work in 1846 on differentiation between white and gray rami
Ramus
Ramus can refer to:* A branch* A portion of a bone , as in the Ramus of the mandible or Superior pubic ramus* A nerve ramus such as the Dorsal ramus of spinal nerve* Petrus Ramus...
. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in 1851.
Sources
- Entry for Beck in the Royal Society's Library and Archive catalogue's details of Fellows (accessed 21 April 2008)
- Robert Lee, the uterine nervous system and a wrangle at the Royal Society 1839-1849, Diana E Manuel, Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 2001 December; 94(12): 645–647