Sir John Herbert Parsons

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

FRS

FRCS Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional certification, professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an wikt:intercollegiate, ...

(3 September 1863,

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

– 7 October 1957,

University College Hospital University College Hospital (UCH) is a teaching hospital in the Fitzrovia area of the London Borough of Camden, England. The hospital, which was founded as the North London Hospital in 1834, is closely associated with University College Lo ...

, London) was a British ophthalmologist and ophthalmic surgeon.Parsons, Sir John Herbert — Biographical Entry — Plarr's Lives of the Fellows Online
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Education

Parsons was educated at the

University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a public university, public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Br ...

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

, and at

St Bartholomew's Hospital St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 by Rahere, and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust. History Early history Barts was founded in 1123 by ...

. He received in 1890 his BSc in physiology, in 1891 his MRCS, and in 1892 his MB.

Career and research

He was appointed an assistant in the Department of Physiology at University College London and practised medicine for several years in

Finchley Finchley () is a large district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Barnet. north of Charing Cross, nearby districts include: Golders Green, Muswell Hill, Friern Barnet, Whetstone, London, Whetstone, Mill Hill and Hendon. It is ...

. He then became a clinical assistant at

Moorfields Eye Hospital Moorfields Eye Hospital is a specialist National Health Service (NHS) eye hospital in Finsbury in the London Borough of Islington in London, England run by Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Together with the UCL Institute of Ophthal ...

. In 1900 he received the MB London and the FRCS England. At Moorfields, he was promoted from clinical assistant and became, successively, curator and librarian and was then elected to the surgical staff in 1904. He became an ophthalmic surgeon at University College Hospital and continued as a surgeon there and at Moorfields until his retirement. He was also an ophthalmic surgeon for some years at the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street. In ophthalmic pathology he became a world authority and produced numerous research articles and several books on eye diseases, ophthalmic optics. and ophthalmic circulation. Parsons served on various government committees dealing with vision tests, blindness prevention, and proper lighting in factories. During World War I he was a consultant ophthalmological surgeon with the rank of Colonel, Army Medical Service, for which he was awarded

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the

1919 Birthday Honours The 1919 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were ...

. From 1928 to 1932 he was a member of the Medical Research Council.

Honours and awards

*1904 and 1914 — Middlemore Prize *1907 — Nettleship Gold Medal *1919 — Doyne Medal from Oxford *1919 — C.B.E. *1921 —

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

*1922 — Knighthood *1925 — Bowman Lectureship *1929 — honoured guest at the opening of the

Wilmer Eye Institute The Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute, also referred to as the Wilmer Eye Institute, is a component of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Ophthalmologist William Holland Wilmer opened the Wilmer Eye Institute in 1925. Its home was com ...

in the United States *1936 — Howe Medal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology *1936–1938 — President of the Royal Society of Medicine

Selected works

* ** * (Volumes 1 to 4, published from 1904 to 1908)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, John Herbert 1863 births 1957 deaths Alumni of the University of Bristol Alumni of University College London 20th-century English medical doctors British ophthalmologists Royal Army Medical Corps officers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Royal Society Presidents of the Royal Society of Medicine Knights Bachelor Physicians of Great Ormond Street Hospital British Army personnel of World War I