Sir Peter James Kerley KCVO

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(1900–1979) was an Irish

radiologist Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiatio ...

famous for his role in the lung surgery 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 ...

and the naming of the radiological sign in heart failure,

Kerley lines Kerley lines are a sign seen on chest radiographs with interstitial pulmonary edema. They are thin linear pulmonary opacities caused by fluid or cellular infiltration into the interstitium of the lungs. They are named after Irish neurologist and ...

. Kerley had his initial radiological training in Vienna at a time when it was the new science. On his return, he completed his studies in Cambridge and took up a post in

Westminster Hospital Westminster Hospital was a hospital in London, England, founded in 1719. In 1834 a medical school attached to the hospital was formally founded. In 1939 a newly built hospital and medical school opened in Horseferry Road, Westminster. In 1994 the ...

. Here, he worked closely with Sir Clement Price Thomas and also edited a major radiology textbook. Following his early return from India and Singapore during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Kerley continued his work in radiology of the heart and lungs and became radiology advisor to the Ministry of Health. Throughout his working career, he received numerous awards, honours and directorships, going on to achieve royal recognition and worldwide acclaim as one of the best radiologists of his time.

Early life

Born in 1900 in

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

, a town between Belfast and Dublin, Peter James Kerley was second-youngest of 14 children. His father was a low income grocer and could not afford Kerley's education. However, his uncle, Augustine Henry, a talented arboriculturalist, took charge over this.

Medical career

A graduate of

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

(1923), Kerley spent a year training in radiology in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. His interest in radiology of the heart and lungs stemmed from this new specialty which was still somewhat novel and Vienna at this time was its epicenter. Then travelling to the UK, he achieved the D.M.R.E from

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and obtained his

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

from the University of Ireland in 1932. Kerley assisted Seymour Cochrane Shanks to edit a major radiology textbook, '''A Textbook of X-ray Diagnosis by British Authors in 1939. The first two editions of ''Recent Advances in Radiology'' was another later book, Kerley had spent time to organise. He became director of

radiology Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiat ...

at the

in 1939 and also became affiliated with the Royal Chest Hospital, London. At the time, Clement Price Thomas was an eminent thoracic surgeon. Kerley and Price Thomas formed a close connection which continued through their careers, influencing and molding Kerley's career pathway significantly. Kerley wrote numerous articles including his celebrated St Cyres lecture, the ‘Radiology of the Pulmonary Circulation’ and also edited the ''Journal of the Faculty of Radiologists''. Kerley was involved at various times in his career, with the

National Heart Hospital University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street, named The Heart Hospital until refurbished and renamed in 2015, was a specialist cardiac hospital located in London, United Kingdom until 2015. It is part of the University College London Hospi ...

, King Edward VII's Sanatorium, Midhurst, the

Ministry of Aviation The Ministry of Aviation was a department of the United Kingdom government established in 1959. Its responsibilities included the regulation of civil aviation and the supply of military aircraft, which it took on from the Ministry of Supply. ...

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard o ...

and

Esso Esso () is a trading name for ExxonMobil. Originally, the name was primarily used by its predecessor Standard Oil of New Jersey after the breakup of the original Standard Oil company in 1911. The company adopted the name "Esso" (the phonetic p ...

Heart and lung radiology

Whilst working at Westminster and the Royal Chest Hospital, Kerley published on the X-ray features of early

Pulmonary tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in w ...

. As well as his 'B lines' in

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

he also reviewed X-ray changes in congenital lung diseases,

congenital heart disease A congenital heart defect (CHD), also known as a congenital heart anomaly and congenital heart disease, is a defect in the structure of the heart or great vessels that is present at birth. A congenital heart defect is classed as a cardiovascular ...

, intrathoracic aneurysm and

bronchiectasis Bronchiectasis is a disease in which there is permanent enlargement of parts of the bronchi, airways of the lung. Symptoms typically include a chronic cough with sputum, mucus production. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, hemoptysis, co ...

. He gave one of the earliest accounts of chest X-ray and contrast, that is bronchography and lipiodol.

King George VI lung surgery

On Sunday 23 September 1951, the thoracic surgical team from Westminster hospital, under the lead surgeon,

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 on ...

, resected the lung tumour that was obstructing the king's left lung airways. Kerley was a key figure in the investigations during the king's illness in the days prior to the operation. His review of the

X-ray An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...

s led to the king returning to London from Balmoral and a bulletin stating "in view of the structural changes referred to in the last bulletin we have advised His Majesty to undergo an operation in the near future". In return, he received a 'New year's honour' in the London Gazette in 1952 which also resulted in Kerley's long-term relationship with royalty and a later knighthood.

Personal and family

Olivia MacNamee was one of the London School of Economics first female students when she met Kerley. They married in 1929. Their two daughters, Barbara and

Jocelyn Jocelyn is a surname and first name. It is a unisex (male/female) name. Variants include Jocelin, Jocelyne, Jocelynn, Jocelynne, Joscelin, Josceline, Joscelyn, Joscelynn, Joscelynne, Joseline, Joselyn, Joselyne, Joslin, Joslyn, Josselin, Josselyn, ...

, both became doctors. Olivia died in 1973, 6 years before Kerley. Kerley had humour and appreciated the outdoors. He particularly enjoyed fishing and would travel to the River Dee to catch salmon. Other pastimes included golf and shooting.

Awards and honours

Kerley received many awards and honours during his working life and after retirement. The Toronto Radiological Society awarded him the Röntgen award in 1944. He received the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) in 1951 and in 1959 he became a member of honour of the Chicago Radiological Society, an honorary fellow of the American College of Radiologists and the Australasian College of Radiology. In 1962 he was made an honorary fellow of the Faculty of Radiologists,

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) is a medical professional and educational institution, which is also known as RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ireland's first private university. It was established in 1784 ...

, Dublin. He was

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

ed by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

in 1972 in recognition of his services to radiology and as radiologist to the Royal Family. In honour of his presidency, he was awarded the gold medal from the Royal College of Radiologists in 1976.

Legacy

The Sir Peter Kerley Lecture of the

Royal College of Radiologists The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) is the professional body responsible for the specialties of clinical oncology and clinical radiology throughout the United Kingdom. Its role is to advance the science and practice of radiology and oncol ...

was named after him. Its funds were later merged to establish the Couch Kerley Travelling Fellowship. He discovered several of the

medical sign Signs and symptoms are the observed or detectable signs, and experienced symptoms of an illness, injury, or condition. A sign for example may be a higher or lower temperature than normal, raised or lowered blood pressure or an abnormality showin ...

s used in interpreting

radiographs Radiography is an imaging technique using X-rays, gamma rays, or similar ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation to view the internal form of an object. Applications of radiography include medical radiography ("diagnostic" and "therapeut ...

. Famous for his 'B' lines, Kerley B lines are a finding of congestive heart failure. These are short parallel lines perpendicular to the lateral

lung The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of t ...

surface, indicative of increased opacity in the pulmonary

septa The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five coun ...

. Kerley A lines and Kerley C lines are related findings.

Selected publications

* "Pathology of early pulmonary tuberculosis as revealed by x-rays". ''British Journal Radiology'' 1930; 3:404–416 * "Radiology in heart disease". ''BMJ'' 1933; 2:594–597 * "Recent Advances in Radiology." P. Blakiston's Son & Co. Inc 1931 * "Technique in mass miniature radiography". ''British Journal Radiology'' 1942; 15:346–347 * "Mass Miniature Radiography of Civilians: For the Detection of Pulmonary Tuberculosis ..." with Kathleen Clark and Philip D'Arcy. This was published in 1945. * Correspondence: civilian mass radiography. Co-authored with Hart P, Thompson B. ''BMJ'' 1945; 1:885 * Correspondence: modern trends in radiology. ''BMJ'' 1949; 2:870 * ''A Text-Book Of X-Ray Diagnosis'': Vol II. Co-edited with Shanks EW. W. B. Saunders. 1951. pp. 403–415

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerley, Peter Irish radiologists People from Dundalk 1900 births 1979 deaths Physicians of the Westminster Hospital Medical doctors from County Louth Alumni of University College Dublin 20th-century Irish medical doctors