Thomas Wharton Jones
Encyclopedia
Thomas Wharton Jones was an eminent ophthalmologist and physiologist of the 19th century.
. Richard Jones had moved north to St. Andrews and was working with Her Majesty's Customs for Scotland when Thomas Wharton Jones was born in January 1808. Jones grew up in Scotland
and studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh
. From 1827 to 1829, he was an assistant to Robert Knox
, a lecturer on anatomy at Edinburgh
. Around Christmas of 1827, while working for Knox, he purchased a body from William Hare on Knox's behalf, paying £7 10s to Hare. Jones thus became caught up in the scandal surrounding the notorious body-snatchers Burke and Hare, but was cleared by the investigating committee., After this, he went to Glasgow, where he worked with William Mackenzie
. Jones contributed the anatomical drawings of sections of the eye that appeared in Mackenzie's classic treatise.
Jones travelled to Cork in 1835, and for a time he engaged in medical practice there, devoting himself chiefly to diseases of the eye and ear. In 1837 he visited the principal universities of the Continent, and settled in London in the following year, where he set up practice as an oculist. In 1847, Jones examined a primitive ophthalmoscope devised by Charles Babbage
, but found it of little value. In 1851, Jones was appointed Professor of Ophthalmic Medicine and Surgery at University College, London. He occupied this post for 30 years until the beginning of 1881, when medical problems forced him to retire to Ventnor
. He stayed in Ventnor until his death in 1891.
Jones was a Lecturer on Physiology at Charing Cross Hospital
, Fullerian Professor of Physiology in the Royal Institution
(1851–55), and Ophthalmic Surgeon to the Hospital.
In 1872, on behalf of the Camden Society
, Jones edited an account of the life and death of Bishop Bedell of Kilmore, who was an ancestral kinsman who died in the Irish Rebellion
of 1641.
Jones disagreed with the Darwinian
theory of evolution
, regarding it as a "mere conceit unsanctioned by science," and published a book in 1876 propounding this view.
Jones also wrote various papers on physiology
, published in the Philosophical Transactions and elsewhere.
Biography
Jones's father was Richard Jones, a native of LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Richard Jones had moved north to St. Andrews and was working with Her Majesty's Customs for Scotland when Thomas Wharton Jones was born in January 1808. Jones grew up in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. From 1827 to 1829, he was an assistant to Robert Knox
Robert Knox
Robert Knox was a Scottish surgeon, anatomist and zoologist. He was the most popular lecturer in anatomy in Edinburgh before his involvement in the Burke and Hare body-snatching case. This ruined his career, and a later move to London did not improve matters...
, a lecturer on anatomy at Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. Around Christmas of 1827, while working for Knox, he purchased a body from William Hare on Knox's behalf, paying £7 10s to Hare. Jones thus became caught up in the scandal surrounding the notorious body-snatchers Burke and Hare, but was cleared by the investigating committee., After this, he went to Glasgow, where he worked with William Mackenzie
William Mackenzie (ophthalmologist)
William Mackenzie was a Scottish ophthalmologist. He wrote Practical Treatise of the Diseases of the Eye, one of the first British textbooks of ophthalmology....
. Jones contributed the anatomical drawings of sections of the eye that appeared in Mackenzie's classic treatise.
Jones travelled to Cork in 1835, and for a time he engaged in medical practice there, devoting himself chiefly to diseases of the eye and ear. In 1837 he visited the principal universities of the Continent, and settled in London in the following year, where he set up practice as an oculist. In 1847, Jones examined a primitive ophthalmoscope devised by Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage, FRS was an English mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer who originated the concept of a programmable computer...
, but found it of little value. In 1851, Jones was appointed Professor of Ophthalmic Medicine and Surgery at University College, London. He occupied this post for 30 years until the beginning of 1881, when medical problems forced him to retire to Ventnor
Ventnor
Ventnor is a seaside resort and civil parish established in the Victorian era on the south coast of the Isle of Wight, England. It lies underneath St Boniface Down , and is built on steep slopes and cliffs leading down to the sea...
. He stayed in Ventnor until his death in 1891.
Jones was a Lecturer on Physiology at Charing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital is a general, acute hospital located in London, United Kingdom and established in 1818. It is located several miles to the west of the city centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham....
, Fullerian Professor of Physiology in the Royal Institution
Royal Institution
The Royal Institution of Great Britain is an organization devoted to scientific education and research, based in London.-Overview:...
(1851–55), and Ophthalmic Surgeon to the Hospital.
In 1872, on behalf of the Camden Society
Camden Society
The Camden Society, named after the English antiquary and historian William Camden, was founded in 1838 in London to publish early historical and literary materials, both unpublished manuscripts and new editions of rare printed books....
, Jones edited an account of the life and death of Bishop Bedell of Kilmore, who was an ancestral kinsman who died in the Irish Rebellion
Irish Rebellion
Irish Rebellion may refer to:* The Irish Bruce Wars 1315–1318, an attempt by members of the O'Neill clan backed by a Scottish and Irish army to make Edward Bruce the High King of Ireland...
of 1641.
Jones disagreed with the Darwinian
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
theory of evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
, regarding it as a "mere conceit unsanctioned by science," and published a book in 1876 propounding this view.
Awards
- 1850: Astley Cooper Prize Essay on State of the Blood and Bloodvessels in Inflammation
- 1851: Actonian PrizeActonian PrizeThe Actonian Prize was established by the Royal Institution as a septennial award for the "person who in the judgement of the committee of managers for the time being of the Institution, should have been the author of the best essay illustrative of the wisdom and beneficence of the Almighty, in...
Essay on The Wisdom and Beneficence of the Almighty as displayed in the Sense of Vision; prize of 100 guineas (£105), awarded by the Royal InstitutionRoyal InstitutionThe Royal Institution of Great Britain is an organization devoted to scientific education and research, based in London.-Overview:...
.
Selected publications
- The principles and practice of ophthalmic medicine and surgery, London: John Churchill, 1847; American ed., ed. by Isaac Hays, Philadelphia: Lea and Blanchard, 1847; 2nd ed., London: John Churchill, 1855; 2nd American ed., ed. by Edward Hartshorne, Philadelphia, Blanchard & Lea, 1856; 3rd and rev. American ed., based on 2nd British ed., ed. Walter F. Atlee, Philadelphia: Blanchard and Lea, 1863; 3rd ed., London: John Churchill, 1865.
- A catechism of the medicine and surgery of the eye and ear, for the clinical use of hospital students, London: John Churchill, 1857.
- A catechism of the physiology and philosophy of body, sense, and mind: For use in schools and colleges, and in private study, London: John Churchill, 1858.
- Failure of sight from railway and other injuries of the spine and head; its nature and treatment, with a physiological and pathological disquisition into the influence of the vaso-motor nerves on the circulation of the blood in the extreme vessels, London: Walton, 1869.
- A true relation of the life and death of the Right Reverend father in God William Bedell, lord bishop of Kilmore in Ireland; edited from a ms. in the Bodleian library, Oxford, and amplified with genealogical and historical chapters, compiled from original sources, with William Bedell, Westminster: Camden Society, 1872.
- Evolution of the human race from apes, and of apes from lower animals, a doctrine unsanctioned by science, London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1876.
Jones also wrote various papers on physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
, published in the Philosophical Transactions and elsewhere.
Society Affiliations
- Fellow of the Royal College of SurgeonsFellowship of the Royal College of SurgeonsFellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons is a professional qualification to practise as a surgeon in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland...
- Foreign Member, Medical Society of Vienna
- Foreign Member, Medical Society of Copenhagen
- Foreign Member, Société de Biologie of Paris