William Thompson (physician) facts for kids

Sir William John Thompson (born May 1861 – died 9 June 1929) was an important Irish doctor. He later became the Registrar General for Ireland, which meant he was in charge of keeping official records like births, deaths, and marriages. He held this important job from 1909 to 1926.

Early Life and Education

William John Thompson was born in May 1861 in Tattyreagh, a place in County Tyrone, Ireland. His father was a farmer, also named William Thompson.

Young William went to school in Enniskillen. He then studied at Trinity College Dublin and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in Dublin. He worked very hard and earned his medical degree (MD) in 1895. Later, in 1902, he became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland. This is a special honor for doctors.

In 1891, William Thompson married Mary Louise Wilson. He passed away at his home in Dublin in June 1929.

A Doctor's Career

After finishing his studies, Dr. Thompson started working as a house physician at St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin in 1895. He was very good at his job. He also taught anatomy at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

Later, he became a senior physician at Jervis Street Hospital. He was also the personal doctor to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. This was a very important position.

Dr. Thompson cared a lot about public health. He worked with the Women's National Health Association of Ireland. This group was started by Lady Aberdeen to improve health for everyone. Because of his great work in medicine, William Thompson was made a knight in 1907. This meant he was called "Sir William Thompson."

Fighting Diseases

Sir William Thompson was especially interested in diseases that affected children. He also focused on tuberculosis, a serious lung disease. He was part of a committee for a special exhibition about tuberculosis in 1907.

He gave a lecture called Home treatment and nursing of pulmonary tuberculosis in Dublin. This talk was included in a book series about fighting tuberculosis in Ireland.

Registrar General for Ireland

In 1909, Sir William Thompson took on a new and very important role. He became the Registrar General for Ireland. This job meant he was in charge of all the official records for the country. He kept track of births, deaths, and marriages. He held this position until 1926.

He was in this office during the terrible Spanish flu epidemic that swept across the world. He noted that the number of deaths reported in Ireland from the flu might have been lower than the actual number.

In 1911, he was chosen to be the Chairman of the Census Commission. This meant he oversaw the first census (a count of all the people) in the new Irish Free State in 1926. He also served as the president of the Statistical and Social Inquiry Society of Ireland from 1918 to 1920.

Sir William Thompson held many other positions related to both medicine and statistics. He often wrote articles for medical journals like the Dublin Journal of Medical Science.