THOMAS
441
THOMAS
giving special attention to obstetrics in
the Rotunda Hospital at Dublin.
Upon his return to New York he estabhshed, with Dr. Donoghue, a quiz class in connection with the University of New York, which was very success- ful and attracted much attention. Later he formed a partnership with Dr. J. F. Metcalf, who was then the leading general practitioner of the city. This association continued for fifteen years.
He devoted himself especially to obstetrics, being professor of that spec- ialty in the University Medical College for eight years, succeeding Dr. Bedford in 1855. In 1863 he was appointed pro- fessor of obstetrics, diseases of women and children, at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, until the chair of diseases of women was established, when he was elected to fill it. In 1870 he did a vaginal ovariotomy.
In 1872 he was elected attending surgeon to the Women's Hospital, when he practically gave up general practice to devote himself to gynecology.
He married Mary Willard, of Troy, New York, in 1862.
From 1872 until 1887 he was attending surgeon of the Women's Hospital in the State of New York, when he resigned and continued to operate in private prac- tice until 1900. He was consultant at the Presbyterian, French, the New York Lying-in, Skin and Cancer and Memorial Hospitals.
He was a member of the New York City Medical Society, New York Patho- logical Society, New York Academy of Medicine, New York Obstetrical Society, New York State Medical Association, and American Gynecological Society, corre- sponding fellow of the Obstetrical So- cieties of Philadelphia, Louisville and Boston, and honorary fellow of the'British Gynecological Society.
He died February 28, 1903; a widow, with two sons, J. Metcalf and Thomas Gaillard, Jr., survived him.
His largest writing was the "Practical Treatise on the Diseases of Women,"
Philadelphia, 1868, which was translated
into French, German, Itahan, Spanish
and Chinese and of which over 60,000
copies were sold. His articles included:
"A History of Nine Cases of Ovario- tomy," 1869. " Gastro-elytrotomy, a Substitute for the Cesarean Section," 1870; "Comparison of the Results of Cesarean Section and Laparo-elytrotomy in New York," 1878; "A New Method of Removing Interstitial and Sub-mu- cous Fibroids of the Uterus," 1879, etc.
A tolerably full list is given in the "Surgeon-general's Catalogue," Washing- ton, District of Columbia.
P. F. C.
Am. J. Obstot, 1903, vol. xlvii (port.).
Tr. .A,m. Gyn. Soc, 1903, vol. xxviii.
N. Y. Jour. Gyn. and Obstet., 1891-2, vol. i.
Thomas, Willam George (1818-1890).
He was born March 23, 1818, in Louis- burg, North Carolina, where he received a common school education and studied medicine with Dr. Wiley Perry, taking his medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania in 1840 and first practising in Tarboro, North Carolina, where he remained until 1850, then removed to Wilmington, North CaroUna.
He was a founder of the State Medical Society, and one of the first vice-presi- dents and later president. His writings are few. The only lengthy paper is an account of the yellow- fever epidemic in Wilimington (1862), prepared in reply to Dr. E. K. Anderson. From the begin- ning Dr. Thomas became dominated in his practice by two ideas; first, to study climatic diseases, and second, to pay attention to obstetrics and diseases of women. He was bold in the use of quinine, giving five grains every two or three hours in the remission stage of marlarial fever — a practice unheard of at that day (1852); and in his frequent application of the obstetric forceps.
Dr. Thomas was a pioneer in gynecol- ogy. Before Marion Sims, he actually employed wire sutures for a vesico- vaginal fistula, his "duck-bill" speculum having been made by a local blacksmith.
