Victor Bonney

Victor Bonney FRCS FRCP
Victor Bonney, 1922
Born	William Francis Victor Bonney 17 December 1872
Died	4 July 1953(1953-07-04) (aged 80) Chelsea
Nationality	British
Education	St Bartholomew's Hospital Middlesex Hospital
Known for	"Bonney's blue" antiseptic Mastering Wertheim's hysterectomy Myomectomy Ovarian cystectomy Bonney's myomectomy clamp Modifying the Reverdin needle
Medical career
Profession	Surgeon
Field	Gynaecology
Sub-specialties	Gynaecological surgery
Notable works	Bonney's Gynaecological Surgery

William Francis Victor Bonney FRCP FRCS (17 December 1872 – 4 July 1953) was a prominent British gynaecological surgeon.^[1] He was described by Geoffrey Chamberlain as "a primary influence on world gynaecology in the years between the wars".^[1]

Bonney is primarily remembered for the invention of an antiseptic solution known as "Bonney's blue", used to sterilise and stain the vagina, cervix and surrounding skin during gynaecological procedures, and therefore reducing post-operative infection. He became experienced in the radical extended Wertheim hysterectomy for treating cervical cancer, performing more than 500 of these in his lifetime.

Personal tragedy directed Bonney towards conservative surgery and he became a pioneer in the field of the less drastic procedures of ovarian cystectomy for removing ovarian cysts and the myomectomy for removing uterine fibroids. Its preference over hysterectomy preserved the fertility of many women of reproductive age. He developed a surgical clamp to reduce post-myomectomy haemorrhage, established operative techniques to reduce post-operative haematomas and modified the Reverdin needle.

In addition, he wrote more than 200 medical papers and co-authored and illustrated A Textbook of Gynaecological Surgery (1911), still in print in 2004 as Bonney's Gynaecological Surgery.