CME INDIA Presentation by ⚜ Dr. M. Gowri Sankar, MD, Senior Assistant Professor, Dept. of General Medicine, Government Medical College and ESI Hospital, Coimbatore.
Today’s History Feature:
Prof. Dr. William Stokes
(1804 – 1878)
💠Irish Physician
His contributions…
🔹Stokes’ father was a Professor of medicine at the Dublin University. Stokes studied medicine and got MD graduation from the University of Edinburgh Medical School in 1825. Then he started practicing in a Hospital at Dublin.
🔹Upon the death of his father in 1845, Stokes became a Regius Professor of medicine at Dublin University.
🔹During his days, he emphasised the importance of clinical examination in arriving diagnosis and ward-based learning for students of medicine.
🔹Furthermore, he authored a book called “An Introduction to the Use of the Stethoscope,” which was the first book on stethoscope.
🔹He also made a significant contributions in the areas of Cardiac and Pulmonary diseases by publishing…
🔅A Treatise on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Diseases of the Chest (1837).
🔅The Diseases of the Heart and Aorta (1854).
🔹His eponyms…
🔅 Cheyne-Stokes Breathing – An abnormal breathing pattern defined by periods of tachypnea and hyperpnea that alternate with periods of apnea, often observed during sleep in congestive heart failure.
🔅 Stokes-Adams syndrome – A syncopal attack triggered by cardiac arrythmia (complete heart block).
🔅 Stokes sign – A severe throbbing in the abdomen, at the right side of the umbilicus in acute enteritis.
🔅 Stokes law – A muscle lying above an inflamed serous or mucous membrane may be paralysed.
🔹Ultimately, his son, Sir William Stokes (1839-1900) followed the footsteps of his father. He was a distinguished physician during his period and his great-grandson Adrian Stokes (1887-1927) was a distinguished bacteriologist and pathologist.
A Day to Commemorate…
An Eminent Physician of 19th Century
Prof. Dr. William Stokes🙏🏼
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