Person

Travers, Thomas A'Beckett (Tom) (1902 - 1999)

Born
16 August 1902
Victoria, Australia
Died
1999
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Occupation
Ophthalmologist

Summary

Tom Travers was a pioneer of corneal transplants in Australia and was the first to do them in large numbers, from 1948. After gaining his specialist qualifications in the United Kingdom, he became consultant to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, concurrently undertaking research in strabismus. From this study he practised not only occlusion but also early surgery for strabismus. In the 1940s he adopted the technique of intracapscular cataract extraction with sutured closure, made safer by his use of relaxant general anaesthesia. This allowed a rapid recovery time and became the standard procedure in Australia for generation. Submissions made by Travers to the Victorian Government contributed to the passing of the Corneal Grafting Act 1956 which regularised the donation of eyes.

Details

Chronology

1925
Education - MB BS, University of Melbourne
1930
Education - Diploma of Ophthalmic Medicine and Surgery, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, United Kingdom
1935
Award - Curzon Prize, British Medical Association
1941
Education - DSc, University of Melbourne
1946 - 1962
Career position - Honorary Ophthalmologist, Royal Melbourne Hospital
1960 - 1961
Career position - President, Ophthalmological Society of Australia
1962 - 1972
Career position - Consulting Ophthalmologist, Royal Melbourne Hospital
1972
Award - Knight bachelor (Kt)

Related Corporate Bodies

Published resources

Journal Articles

  • Coster, Douglas J., 'History of corneal transplantation in Australia', Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology, 43 (2015), 268-76. Details
  • Crawford, B. A., 'Obituary: Thomas a'Beckett Travers', Australian Journal of Ophthalmology, 27 (1999), 448-9. Details

Resources

Helen Cohn

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