Thomas Keith

Thomas Keith FRCSEd (27 May 1827 – 9 October 1895 ) was a Victorian surgeon and amateur photographer from Scotland. He developed and improved the wax paper process and his photographs are recognised for their composition and use of shade. He was an early practitioner of the operation of ovariotomy (ovarian cystectomy) where his published results were amongst the best in the world. Early life and education Thomas Keith was born in St Cyrus, Kincardineshire in 1827, one of seven sons of Rev. Dr. Alexander Keith, a Church of Scotland minister, one of the 450 who broke away to form the Free Church of Scotland, an event known as the Disruption of 1843. Rev Keith took an early interest in photography travelling with his elder son George Skene Keith (1819-1910) to the Holy Land in 1844 where he took daguerreotype views of notable places in Syria. This early family interest in photography when it was still in its infancy was undoubtedly a major stimulus to the photographic career of Thomas Keith which began some eight years after the expedition of his father and brother to the Holy Land. Keith's mother, Jane Blaikie (1793–1837), was the sister of Sir Thomas Blaikie, the Scottish magistrate. Three of Thomas Keith's brothers entered the medical profession. Thomas Keith was educated at Aberdeen Grammar School and the Royal High School, Edinburgh then studied at Marischal College, Aberdeen where he qualified MA. His medical training took place entirely in Edinburgh. Early Surgical career In 1848, at the age of 21 he graduated MD from the University of Edinburgh and was appointed house surgeon in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh to James Syme (1799–1870), the Professor of Surgery. This appointment was to last for fifteen months and it was during this time that he learned from Syme the principles of surgery which were to form the basis of his future success. It was from Syme that he came to appreciate the importance of absolute cleanliness in the surgical wound and meticulous attention to detail, particularly with haemostasis. Their respect was mutual. When Syme's wife became ill, Syme, who could have chosen any surgeon in the land to attend her, chose Keith. Keith was succeeded as house surgeon by the young Joseph Lister, and the two remained friends for life.