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Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Sir Luigi Preziosi (29 July 1888 – 30 July 1965) was a Maltese politician and a doctor who specialized in

ophthalmology Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...

. He was mostly known for devising an original operation for the treatment of

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that result in damage to the optic nerve (or retina) and cause vision loss. The most common type is open-angle (wide angle, chronic simple) glaucoma, in which the drainage angle for fluid within the eye rem ...

in 1924, which remained in use for many decades.

Biography

He was born in

Sliema Sliema ( mt, Tas-Sliema ) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Northern Harbour District. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. It is also the most densely po ...

, Malta on 29 July 1888, the second son of the seventh Count Preziosi of Malta. He graduated in the Royal University of Malta in 1907. During the First World War, Luigi Preziosi was a medical officer in the Royal Army Medical Corps. He then married the Noble Lugarda Chapelle dei Baroni di San Giovanni on 29 April 1920, with whom he had three children. The same year he specialised in ophthalmology in Oxford. Following the death of his father, Luigi inherited the hereditary noble title of Count and became the 8th Count of Preziosi. He became a member and later president of the Committee of Privileges of the Maltese Nobility. He was knighted in the

1948 New Year Honours The 1948 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1948 for the Briti ...

. In 1924, he was appointed as Professor of Ophthalmology in the University of Malta. He was unusually interested in

trachoma Trachoma is an infectious disease caused by bacterium '' Chlamydia trachomatis''. The infection causes a roughening of the inner surface of the eyelids. This roughening can lead to pain in the eyes, breakdown of the outer surface or cornea of ...

— a diseases prevalent in Malta at the time. In his early years, however, he obtained his greatest reputation internationally for his treatment of glaucoma which was first published in 1924. He referred to this operation initially as electro-cautery puncture and later simply as Preziosi’s operation. The procedure was considered an advance over the other available filtering operations such as

trephination Trepanning, also known as trepanation, trephination, trephining or making a burr hole (the verb ''trepan'' derives from Old French from Medieval Latin from Greek , literally "borer, auger"), is a surgical intervention in which a hole is drill ...

, sclerectomy and iridencleisis. The operation was discussed at various international ophthalmic congresses over the years. It was further developed by Harold G. Scheie in 1957. Preziosi’s operation for glaucoma remained in use for many years until the development of

trabeculectomy Trabeculectomy is a surgical procedure used in the treatment of glaucoma to relieve intraocular pressure by removing part of the eye's trabecular meshwork and adjacent structures. It is the most common glaucoma surgery performed and allows draina ...

. During the Second World War, Preziosi served as an ophthalmic surgeon and consultant. Preziosi was actively involved in politics. He was a member of the UPM and later in the interest of the Nationalist Party until 1949 when he retired. Count Sir Luigi Preziosi died on 30 July 1965 in Malta.

References

Luigi Preziosi
Accessed 17 November 2012

Accessed 20 November 2012
Luigi Preziosi
Accessed 20 November 2012

Accessed 20 November 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Preziosi, Luigi 1888 births 1965 deaths Maltese knights 20th-century Maltese politicians People from Sliema