Thomas Thomas
Encyclopedia
Thomas Thomas widely known as "Dr. T. Thomas", was the first cardio-thoracic surgeon
Cardiothoracic Surgery
Cardiothoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in surgical treatment of diseases affecting organs inside the thorax —generally treatment of conditions of the heart and lungs .-Cardiac / Thoracic:...

 of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n citizenship, as well as a prolific author and poet.

He was trained by Reeve H. Betts in cardio-thoracic surgery at the
Christian Medical College in Vellore
Vellore
Vellore It is considered one of the oldest cities in South India and lies on the banks of the Palar river on the site of Vellore Fort. The city lies between Chennai and Bangalore and the Temple towns of Thiruvannamalai and Tirupati...

, India.
He studied at Madras Christian College, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

, and did his medical training at Stanley Medical College
Stanley Medical College
Stanley Medical College is a government medical college with hospitals, located in Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Though the original hospital is more than 200 years old, the medical college was formally established on July 2, 1938...

, Tamil Nadu. He was the first surgeon in South Asia to do a mitral valvulotomy
Mitral valve
The mitral valve is a dual-flap valve in the heart that lies between the left atrium and the left ventricle...

.

He was awarded a Rockefeller Fellowship and did further medical research in 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...

 and 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...

. He later taught in hospitals in Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...

, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...

, and Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....

.

A prolific writer, he funded his medical studies by writing short stories that were published in the literary magazine Caravan.

He wrote poetry, short stories and several novels. Several of these are set in Kerala. His non-medical works include a book on Sister Alphonsa. This book played a role in helping the case for her canonisation. His poetry has been read on the radio in Sydney, Australia. In his later years, his poetry dealt with the themes of blindness and the nature of an expatriate's identity.

His medical publications include Results of Resection for Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Indian Journal of Tuberculosis Vol. III, New Delhi, March, 1956. No. 3.

He died at the age of 81 in Sydney.
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