Thomas Keith
Encyclopedia
Thomas Keith MD
, LL.D., FRCS
(27 May 1827 St Cyrus
, Aberdeenshire
- 9 October 1895 London
), was a Victorian
surgeon and amateur photographer from Scotland. He was one of seven sons of Rev. Dr. Alexander Keith
, one of the ministers who broke away to form the Free Church of Scotland
; his 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, then studied Art at Marischal College
and in 1845 became a medical apprentice - the last in Edinburgh - to Sir James Young Simpson
. Keith produced innovations in both surgery and photography. He qualified in surgery at the University of Edinburgh
after which he moved to Turin
as House Surgeon to Sir William Abercromby in the British Embassy, returning to Edinburgh in 1851.
Thomas shared a practice in Great Stuart Street with his brother George Skene Keith - both were members of Sir James Young Simpson’s team that pioneered the use of chloroform
as an anaesthetic. George was also a founding member of the Photographic Society of Scotland. Their surgery flourished and Keith became a prominent gynaecologist and a specialist in ovarian and uterine
disorders. Thomas became a close friend of Joseph Lister
and was one of the first surgeons to introduce Lister's antiseptic procedures in his surgery.
In his photography Thomas used the waxed paper process
. His work showed great artistic skill and a mastery of the chemical processes involved. He often shared his photographic excursions around Edinburgh with his brother-in-law John Forbes White. Because of the pressures inflicted by his medical practice, Keith neglected photography after 1859, but by this time he had created a priceless photographic record of nineteenth-century Edinburgh. Keith's prints and negatives are kept at the Edinburgh Central LIbrary, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery
, the Royal Scottish Academy
, the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, the Canadian Centre for Architecture
, George Eastman House
, Harry Ransom Center
His death early on the morning of Wednesday 9 October 1895, after a lifetime of battling kidney stones, was hastened by constant exposure to early antiseptics. He had been living at Charles Street, Berkeley Square in London and was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery
. He had married a Miss Johnston, first cousin to the wife of Sir James Young Simpson and they had produced six children. He was also doctor to Lady Randolph Churchill
He contributed numerous papers on ovariotomy to the Edinburgh Medical Journal and to the British Medical Journal
.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
, LL.D., FRCS
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...
(27 May 1827 St Cyrus
St Cyrus
St Cyrus is a village located in the extreme south of Aberdeenshire, Scotland.-General information:...
, Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
- 9 October 1895 London
London
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...
), was a Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
surgeon and amateur photographer from Scotland. He was one of seven sons of Rev. Dr. Alexander Keith
Alexander Keith (Free Church minister)
Alexander Keith was a Church of Scotland minister. He was a graduate of Marischal College. Eldest son of George Skene Keith of Keith-hall and Kinkell, where he was born at the manse in 1791. From 1816 to 1840 he was rector of the parish of St...
, one of the ministers who broke away to form the Free Church of Scotland
Free Church of Scotland (1843-1900)
The Free Church of Scotland is a Scottish denomination which was formed in 1843 by a large withdrawal from the established Church of Scotland in a schism known as the "Disruption of 1843"...
; his mother, Jane Blaikie (1793-1837), was the sister of Sir Thomas Blaikie
Sir Thomas Blaikie
Sir Thomas Blaikie was a Scottish magistrate.Born in Aberdeen, he was the son of John Blaikie , a plumbing merchant and his wife Helen Richardson . His older brother was James Ogilvie Blaikie . He was educated at Aberdeen Grammar School and then went to Marischal College...
, the Scottish magistrate. Three of Thomas Keith's brothers entered the medical profession.
Thomas Keith was educated at Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
Grammar School, then studied Art at Marischal College
Marischal College
Marischal College is a building and former university in the centre of the city of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland. The building is owned by the University of Aberdeen and used for ceremonial events...
and in 1845 became a medical apprentice - the last in Edinburgh - to Sir James Young Simpson
James Young Simpson
Sir James Young Simpson was a Scottish doctor and an important figure in the history of medicine. Simpson discovered the anaesthetic properties of chloroform and successfully introduced it for general medical use....
. Keith produced innovations in both surgery and photography. He qualified in surgery 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...
after which he moved to Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
as House Surgeon to Sir William Abercromby in the British Embassy, returning to Edinburgh in 1851.
Thomas shared a practice in Great Stuart Street with his brother George Skene Keith - both were members of Sir James Young Simpson’s team that pioneered the use of chloroform
Chloroform
Chloroform is an organic compound with formula CHCl3. It is one of the four chloromethanes. The colorless, sweet-smelling, dense liquid is a trihalomethane, and is considered somewhat hazardous...
as an anaesthetic. George was also a founding member of the Photographic Society of Scotland. Their surgery flourished and Keith became a prominent gynaecologist and a specialist in ovarian and uterine
Uterine
The word uterine can refer to different meanings:* relating to or near the uterus or womb* having the same mother, but different fathers, see matrilineality...
disorders. Thomas became a close friend of Joseph Lister
Joseph Lister
Joseph Lister may refer to:*Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister , English surgeon, discovered that cleaning and disinfecting surgical wounds, and bandages, with carbolic acid prevents lethal infections...
and was one of the first surgeons to introduce Lister's antiseptic procedures in his surgery.
In his photography Thomas used the waxed paper process
Calotype
Calotype or talbotype is an early photographic process introduced in 1841 by William Henry Fox Talbot, using paper coated with silver iodide. The term calotype comes from the Greek for 'beautiful', and for 'impression'....
. His work showed great artistic skill and a mastery of the chemical processes involved. He often shared his photographic excursions around Edinburgh with his brother-in-law John Forbes White. Because of the pressures inflicted by his medical practice, Keith neglected photography after 1859, but by this time he had created a priceless photographic record of nineteenth-century Edinburgh. Keith's prints and negatives are kept at the Edinburgh Central LIbrary, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is an art gallery on Queen Street, Edinburgh, Scotland. It holds the national collections of portraits, all of which are of, but not necessarily by, Scots. In addition it also holds the Scottish National Photography Collection...
, the Royal Scottish Academy
Royal Scottish Academy
The Royal Scottish Academy is a Scottish organisation that promotes contemporary Scottish art. Founded in 1826, as the Royal Institution for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts, the RSA maintains a unique position in Scotland as an independently funded institution led by eminent artists and...
, the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, the Canadian Centre for Architecture
Canadian Centre for Architecture
The Canadian Centre for Architecture is a museum of architecture and research centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Phyllis Lambert is the Founding Director and Chair of the Board of Trustees, and Mirko Zardini is the Director and Chief Curator....
, George Eastman House
George Eastman House
The George Eastman House is the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in Rochester, New York, USA. World-renowned for its photograph and motion picture archives, the museum is also a leader in film preservation and...
, Harry Ransom Center
His death early on the morning of Wednesday 9 October 1895, after a lifetime of battling kidney stones, was hastened by constant exposure to early antiseptics. He had been living at Charles Street, Berkeley Square in London and was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in Kensal Green, in the west of London, England. It was immortalised in the lines of G. K. Chesterton's poem The Rolling English Road from his book The Flying Inn: "For there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen; Before we go to Paradise by way of...
. He had married a Miss Johnston, first cousin to the wife of Sir James Young Simpson and they had produced six children. He was also doctor to Lady Randolph Churchill
He contributed numerous papers on ovariotomy to the Edinburgh Medical Journal and to the British Medical Journal
British Medical Journal
BMJ is a partially open-access peer-reviewed medical journal. Originally called the British Medical Journal, the title was officially shortened to BMJ in 1988. The journal is published by the BMJ Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Medical Association...
.