Peter Henry Jones (1 March 1917 – 30 July 1984), was born in

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. I ...

and is best known for his role in assisting

Sir Clement Price Thomas Sir Clement Price Thomas ''Honour for the King's Doctor''. ''The Times''. (London, England), 15 December 1951; p. 6; issue 52185. (22 November 1893 – 19 March 1973) was a pioneering Welsh thoracic surgeon most famous for his 1951 operation o ...

in the pneumonectomy of

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...

in 1951. He subsequently remained professionally close to Price Thomas, pursuing a career in cardiothoracic surgery.

Early life

Jones was educated in Pontypool at Haberdashers' Aske's West Monmouth School.

Medical career

Jones studies medicine at King's College, London and qualified with MRCS, LRCP from

Westminster Hospital Medical School The Westminster Hospital Medical School was formally founded in 1834 by George Guthrie, an ex-military surgeon – although students had been taken on at Westminster Hospital almost from the hospital's foundation in 1719 (the traditional name a ...

in 1939. He stayed on at the hospital to complete his junior house posts. Between 1942 and 1946, he joined the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

as a regimental medical officer to a field artillery regiment in North Africa and Italy. He witnessed the Salerno landing and the attack on Monte Cassino. Declining an elevation in rank, he opted to endure the rest of the war along with his regiment. Returning to England in 1946, Jones continued his surgical training and passed the FRCS in 1948. Afterwards, he joined the surgical team under

at the Brompton Hospital and Westminster Hospitals. Baguley and Davyhulme Hospitals appointed Jones as thoracic surgeon in 1955 and Manchester Royal Infirmary took him on in 1960. Also, in 1960, Jones attended the Presbyterian Hospital in San Francisco to learn new techniques in open heart surgery. After spending six months with Dr Frank Gerbode, he returned to Westminster Hospital as thoracic surgeon. As Hunterian Professor, he gave a lecture on bronchial sleeve resection in 1958.

Sir Clement Price Thomas

In 1951, Jones spent three weeks as resident surgeon in

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

. On 23 September 1951, whilst still in the palace, he had assisted Price Thomas with the pneumonectomy on King George VI’s lung cancer. In return, he was awarded the MVO. The surgery has since been researched and re-enacted by real surgeons in Stephen Daldry's The Crown (TV series).

Later life

Jones enjoyed fishing and antique clocks.

Coronary artery disease Coronary artery disease (CAD), also called coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic heart disease (IHD), myocardial ischemia, or simply heart disease, involves the reduction of blood flow to the heart muscle due to build-up of atherosclerotic pla ...

and an illness resulting in loss of voice limited his activities and resulted in his premature retirement. He died on 30 July 1984 leaving his wife Monica, two children and four grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Peter 1917 births 1984 deaths British surgeons History of surgery 20th-century surgeons