Frederic Carpenter Skey facts for kids
Frederic Carpenter Skey was a very important English surgeon. He was born on December 1, 1798, and passed away on August 15, 1872. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a big honor for scientists.
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Life of Frederic Skey
Frederic Skey was the second of six children. His father, George Skey, was a merchant in London. Frederic was born in a place called Upton-on-Severn. He went to a private school and kept a lifelong friendship with his teacher's son, Frederick Denison Maurice.
Becoming a Surgeon
Skey started his medical studies in Edinburgh, Scotland. Then he spent a few months learning in Paris, France. In 1816, he became an apprentice to a famous surgeon named John Abernethy. This was a key step in his medical journey.
After studying at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, Skey became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1822. While he was an apprentice, he even helped care for some of Abernethy's private patients. Around 1826, he became a demonstrator of anatomy at St. Bartholomew's Hospital. This meant he helped teach students about the human body.
Teaching and Leadership
After leaving St. Bartholomew's, Skey helped restart the Aldersgate Street school of medicine. This school became very well-known for teaching medicine. Skey taught surgery there for ten years. He also became an assistant-surgeon at St. Bartholomew's Hospital in 1827.
In 1837, Skey was elected a fellow of the Royal Society. This shows how respected he was in the scientific community. He continued to teach anatomy at St. Bartholomew's Hospital until 1865. In 1854, he became a full surgeon at the hospital. He retired in 1864 due to a new rule about age.
Skey held many important positions at the Royal College of Surgeons. He was elected to the council in 1848. He also became a professor of human anatomy and surgery in 1852. In 1863, he was chosen as the president of the Royal College of Surgeons. He worked on committees related to public health. Frederic Skey's health declined in his last few years, and he passed away in London in 1872.
Frederic Skey's Works
Frederic Skey wrote several important books and articles. He also wrote letters to The Times newspaper about the effects of intense training for sports.
Operative Surgery
- Operative Surgery, published in 1851, was one of his main books.
- In this book, Skey strongly argued that surgery should only be used as a very last option. He believed in trying other treatments first.
Hysteria
- Another important work was Hysteria, first published in 1867.
- In this book, Skey discussed how to treat certain conditions. He supported a "tonic" plan of treatment. This meant using methods that would strengthen the patient, rather than weakening them.
