Keith, Thomas, Dr
1827 – 1895
An early amateur practitioner of photography in Scotland, Keith was born near Montrose, at St Cyrus where his father was the Parish Minister.
Keith studied at Aberdeen Grammar School after which he went to Edinburgh where he was apprenticed to Professor (later Sir) James Young Simpson HRSA) the last surgeon to be so trained in Edinburgh. He was appointed as Resident Surgeon to Mr Sime at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
After qualification he took an appointment as Surgeon to Sir William Abercromby at the Court of the King of Sardinia in Tunis.
After his return to Scotland he joined his brother Dr George Skene Keith in practise in Edinburgh with almost all the practice's surgery being entrusted to him. He became established as an obstetrician, performing his first ovariotomy in 1862. Conscious of the still largely asceptic nature of many hospitals, at a personal outlay of £3,000 he converted a house in Great Stuart Street, Edinburgh to a hospital where he performed all his surgery, showing no distinction between the social classes of his patients.
He stayed with his brother for 20 years, during which time he served 18 years (1870-88) as extra-surgeon for ovarian disease at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. In 1888 he removed to London to set up practise there but the last three years of his life saw him having to abandon his profession owing to the return of a long standing illness which had troubled him since childhood and which ultimately proved fatal.
He is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery, London.
He was described as being; "of a very retiring disposition, and disliking all fuss and ostentation. Dr Keith did not take a very part in Edinburgh society."
The Journal 'Studies in Photography (2007)' is devoted almost entirely to papers concerning the life and photographic work of Dr Keith. A copy of this publication is held by the RSA Library (L.J.2016.0051).
