Sir William Stewart Duke-Elder (22 April 1898 – 27 March 1978), a Scottish ophthalmologist who was a dominant force in his field for more than a quarter of a century.

Life

Duke-Elder was born in the manse in

Tealing Tealing (Scottish Gaelic: Tèalainn) is a village in Angus in eastern Scotland, nestled at the foot of the Sidlaw Hills. It is just north of the city of Dundee and south of Forfar. With a population of just over 500, scattered across of ferti ...

near Dundee. His father, Rev Neil Stewart Elder, was the village minister of the Free Church of Scotland. His mother was Isabelle Duke, daughter of Rev John Duke of the Free Church in Campsie, Stirlingshire. Duke-Elder was educated at

Morgan Academy Morgan Academy is a Secondary School in the Stobswell area of Dundee, Scotland. History The building was designed in 1862 by the Edinburgh architects John Dick Peddie and Charles Kinnear, opening in 1866 as the Morgan Hospital, a charitable in ...

in Dundee, and was school dux for 1914–1915. Duke-Elder entered the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

in 1915 on scholarship, and graduated in 1919 with a BSc in Physiology and MA (Hons) in Natural Sciences. He graduated from the

University of St Andrews School of Medicine The University of St Andrews School of Medicine (formerly the Bute Medical School) is the school of medicine at the University of St Andrews in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland and the oldest medical school in Scotland. The medical school offers tw ...

in 1923 with an MB ChB. In 1925, he earned an MD from St Andrews for his dissertation on 'Reaction of the eye to changes in osmotic pressure of the blood'. Stewart Duke-Elder 63 Harley Street blue plaque

Stewart Duke-Elder 63 Harley Street blue plaque

In 1927, Duke-Elder earned a DSc from St Andrews for his thesis on "The nature of the intraocular fluids and the pressure equilibrium in the eye". Duke-Elder is best remembered as a talented and prolific writer and editor, producing seven volumes of ''Textbook of Ophthalmology'' and fifteen volumes of ''System of Ophthalmology'', along with many other textbooks and scientific papers that provided the educational foundation for most of the world's ophthalmologists. This monumental contribution to medical literature earned Duke-Elder the title of Fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

in 1960. In addition to his own writings, Duke-Elder served for many years as editor and chairman of the editorial committee of the ''

British Journal of Ophthalmology The ''British Journal of Ophthalmology'' is a peer-reviewed medical journal covering all aspects of ophthalmology. The journal was established in 1917 by the amalgamation of the ''Royal London (Moorfields) Ophthalmic Hospital Reports'' with the ''O ...

and Ophthalmic Literature'' and he was instrumental in the formation and research direction of the Institute of Ophthalmology, now part of the

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

. He was knighted in 1933, and subsequently earned many more honours, serving as the Surgeon-Oculist to

King Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 19 ...

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 I ...

and Queen Elizabeth II. In 1946 he formed the Faculty of Ophthalmologists. Duke-Elder was awarded the 1957

Lister Medal __NOTOC__ The Lister Medal is an award presented by the Royal College of Surgeons of England in recognition of contributions to surgical science. It is named after the English surgeon Joseph Lister (1827-1912), whose work on antiseptics establi ...

for his contributions to surgical science. The corresponding Lister Oration, given at the

Royal College of Surgeons of England The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is an independent professional body and registered charity that promotes and advances standards of surgical care for patients, and regulates surgery and dentistry in England and Wales. T ...

, was delivered on 28 March 1958, and was titled 'The Emergence of Vision in the Animal World'. Duke-Elder had a long and successful marriage to his wife Phyllis, who had been his medical assistant. They had no children. Duke-Elder died at his home at St John's Wood in London on 27 March 1978.

Publications

* ''Textbook of Ophthalmology'' (1954) * ''A Century of International Ophthalmology'' (1958) * ''Neuro-ophthalmology'' (1971) * ''Ocular Motility and Strabismus'' (1973) * ''System of Ophthalmology'' (multiple editions) * ''Practice of refraction'' (multiple editions)

References

External links

Obituary from The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duke-Elder, Stewart 1898 births 1978 deaths People from Angus, Scotland People educated at Morgan Academy Alumni of the University of St Andrews British ophthalmologists 20th-century Scottish medical doctors Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Harley Street