Henry "Jullundur" Smith
Lieutenant colonel Henry Smith, known popularly as Henry “Jullundur” Smith, (1859-1948), was an Irish ophthalmologist who served in the Indian Medical Service (IMS), mostly in Jullundur, Punjab. In 1905 he published a landmark paper titled “Extraction of cataract in the capsule”. Smith's operation, an operation for removing cataracts with the capsule intact, is named for him. A description of Smith is given in Derrick Vail's “The Man With the Cigar” (1973).[1][2][3]
Early life and education
[edit]Henry Smith, also known as Harry, was born in Clogher, County Tyrone in 1859.[4][5] He attended Queen's College, Galway, from where he graduated with first class honours.[5]
Career
[edit]In 1890 he joined the Indian Medical Service, and was stationed at Amritsar and Jullundur, Punjab, where he became known as "Jullundur Smith", acting as superintendent of the local jail and performing both stone and eye surgery.[5] During the cooler seasons, he could perform up to 100 cataract operations per day.[5] He popularised the intracapsular cataract extraction.[6]
Later life
[edit]In 1921 he retired and remained in India until 1925, when he returned to Clogher, County Tyrone.[5]
Personal and family
[edit]In 1898, Smith married an Indian Medical Service colleague. They had two sons.[5]
Death and legacy
[edit]He died in 1859.[4] The Indian Pioneer wrote: "He was big, mentally, morally and physically and he operated on thousands upon thousands for two great Indian afflictions, cataract and stone. India mourns his going, the world honours him."[5]
Smith is considered an ophthalmology pioneer of the IMS, along with Herbert Herbert.[7] A description of Smith is given in Derrick Vail's “The Man With the Cigar” (1973).[8]
References
[edit]- ^ "Henry Smith". www.whonamedit.com. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ Pontious, Nevin D. (November 1912). "Smith's Operation". The Indian Medical Gazette. 47 (11): 449–451. ISSN 0019-5863. PMC 5168221. PMID 29005410.
- ^ Ravin, James G. (May 2003). "An Indian adventure: Derrick Vail's Shikarpur fragments". Archives of Ophthalmology. 121 (5): 720–724. doi:10.1001/archopht.121.5.720. ISSN 0003-9950. PMID 12742853.
- ^ a b Ravin, James G. (1 April 2005). "Henry "Jullundur" Smith's "Extraction of Cataract in the Capsule"". Archives of Ophthalmology. 123 (4): 544–545. doi:10.1001/archopht.123.4.544. ISSN 0003-9950. PMID 15824230.
- ^ a b c d e f g "The Dictionary of Ulster Biography". www.newulsterbiography.co.uk. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ Boyd, Benjamin (2011). Modern Ophthalmology: The Highlights. JP Medical Ltd. p. 8. ISBN 978-9962-678-16-8.
- ^ Feibel, Robert M. (May 2014). "Herbert Herbert: his corneal pits and scleral slits". Ophthalmology. 121 (5): 1142–1148. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2013.11.018. ISSN 1549-4713. PMID 24424250.
- ^ Vail, Derrick T. (1 January 1973). "The Man by the Cigar". American Journal of Ophthalmology. 75 (1): 1–12. doi:10.1016/0002-9394(73)90647-8. ISSN 0002-9394. PMID 4567510.