Clement Price Thomas | |
|---|---|
 Price Thomas c. 1951 | |
| Born | 22 November 1893 Abercarn, Monmouthshire, Wales |
| Died | 19 March 1973 (aged 79) Midhurst, Sussex, England |
| Burial place | New Bethel Chapel Cemetery, Mynyddislwyn |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Thoracic surgeon |
| Years active | 1927–1973 |
| Employer | Cardiff University School of Medicine (at time of death) |
| Known for | Lung Surgery |
| Notable work | Lung operation on George VI in 1951 |
| Spouse |
Ethel Doris Ricks (m. 1925) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order |
Sir Clement Price Thomas KCVO MRCS LRCP FRCS FRCP[1] (22 November 1893 – 19 March 1973)[2] was a pioneering Welsh thoracic surgeon most famous for his 1951 operation on King George VI.[3]
Following a scholarship to Westminster Hospital Medical School, Price Thomas was posted to the Middle East at the onset of the First World War. He resumed his surgical training on return and was ultimately elected on to the surgical team of the hospital.
Encouraged to pursue thoracic surgery by Tudor Edwards, Price Thomas took up, along with other posts, a thoracic surgery placement at the Royal Brompton Hospital, a specialist hospital for chest diseases. His reputation from his work on surgical techniques in pulmonary tuberculosis led to the decision that he would undertake the lung surgery on King George VI in 1951. Its success resulted in Price Thomas being appointed Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO).
Price Thomas was elected as president to numerous significant bodies during his career, including, the British Medical Association, the Royal Society of Medicine, the Association of Thoracic Surgeons, the Thoracic Society and the Welsh National School of Medicine. A forerunner of thoracic surgery on the international platform, he delivered a number of eponymous lectures and received several honorary degrees.
Price Thomas, less well known for his cardiac surgery, also introduced surgery for coarctation of the aorta to the United Kingdom, a procedure he learnt from Clarence Crafoord.
He suffered from lung cancer in his later years, he was a lifelong cigarette smoker, and died at the age of 79 years, leaving a wife and two sons, one of whom became a surgeon.