William Hancock (ophthalmologist)
Encyclopedia
William Ilbert Hancock F.R.C.S.
(10 April 1873 – 26 January 1910) was an English ophthalmologist
who worked as an assistant surgeon at the Royal London Ophthalmic Hospital. He was also a sportsman who represented England in tennis and rugby union
.
, Somerset
as one of ten boys and three girls to William Hancock and Mary Sweet Escott. Along with his brothers, he was a strong football and cricket
player during his youth. He was educated at Dulwich College
, and joined Guy's Hospital
as a student in 1891. While at Guy's, Hancock took an active part in the establishment's sporting clubs, playing as part of the tennis
team throughout his time there, and captaining the team in 1892. He also captained the rugby football
team in 1893 and 1894, and was one of the hospital's prominent cricket
ers.
and L.R.C.P.
. He became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons
two years later in 1898. He specialised in ophthalmic
work, and worked at for a time at the Royal Westminster Ophthalmic Hospital. At the time of his death, he was Assistant Surgeon for the Royal London Ophthalmic Hospital, Moorfields and Ophthalmic Surgeon for the East London Hospital for Children, and Bolingbroke Hospital. He had earlier served as Senior Assistant Surgeon and Pathologist for the Central London Ophthalmic Hospital. His obituary in the British Medical Journal
describes Hancock as genial and loyal, and predicted that "had he lived, would doubtless have taken a very prominent place in the profession."
cricket match for Somerset
in 1892. He also represented his county at both tennis
and rugby
, and in his British Medical Journal obituary it is claimed that he would have gained international honours in rugby had it not been for a knee injury.
His brother Philip Froude Hancock
made ten international appearances in international rugby for England and Britain, and another, Frank Hancock
captained Wales in the same sport. Of the ten brothers, seven, including William, played rugby union for Somerset. His nephew, Frank Hancock's son Ralph
, played cricket for Somerset in nine matches between 1907 and 1914.
. The operation was successful, and Hancock was making a good recovery until four days later. He died of pulmonary embolism
and thrombosis
the following day.
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons is a professional qualification to practise as a surgeon in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland...
(10 April 1873 – 26 January 1910) was an English ophthalmologist
Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems...
who worked as an assistant surgeon at the Royal London Ophthalmic Hospital. He was also a sportsman who represented England in tennis and rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
.
Early life
William Ilbert Hancock was born in WiveliscombeWiveliscombe
Wiveliscombe is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The town has a population of 2,670. The parish includes the nearby hamlet of Maundown.-History:...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
as one of ten boys and three girls to William Hancock and Mary Sweet Escott. Along with his brothers, he was a strong football and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
player during his youth. He was educated at Dulwich College
Dulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
, and joined Guy's Hospital
King's College London School of Medicine and Dentistry
King's College London School of Medicine is the medical school of King's College London, and one of the United Hospitals...
as a student in 1891. While at Guy's, Hancock took an active part in the establishment's sporting clubs, playing as part of the tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
team throughout his time there, and captaining the team in 1892. He also captained the rugby football
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
team in 1893 and 1894, and was one of the hospital's prominent cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
ers.
Medical career
In 1896 he qualified as a surgeon, gaining the dual qualifications M.R.C.SMembership of the Royal College of Surgeons
MRCS is a professional qualification for surgeons in the UK and IrelandIt means Member of the Royal College of Surgeons. In the United Kingdom, doctors who gain this qualification traditionally no longer use the title 'Dr' but start to use the title 'Mr', 'Mrs', 'Miss' or 'Ms'.There are 4 surgical...
and L.R.C.P.
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
. He became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons is a professional qualification to practise as a surgeon in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland...
two years later in 1898. He specialised in ophthalmic
Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems...
work, and worked at for a time at the Royal Westminster Ophthalmic Hospital. At the time of his death, he was Assistant Surgeon for the Royal London Ophthalmic Hospital, Moorfields and Ophthalmic Surgeon for the East London Hospital for Children, and Bolingbroke Hospital. He had earlier served as Senior Assistant Surgeon and Pathologist for the Central London Ophthalmic Hospital. His obituary in the British Medical Journal
British Medical Journal
BMJ is a partially open-access peer-reviewed medical journal. Originally called the British Medical Journal, the title was officially shortened to BMJ in 1988. The journal is published by the BMJ Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Medical Association...
describes Hancock as genial and loyal, and predicted that "had he lived, would doubtless have taken a very prominent place in the profession."
Sporting career
Hancock played one first-classFirst-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
cricket match for Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
in 1892. He also represented his county at both tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, and in his British Medical Journal obituary it is claimed that he would have gained international honours in rugby had it not been for a knee injury.
His brother Philip Froude Hancock
Froude Hancock
Philip Froude Hancock universally known as Froude Hancock was an English rugby union forward who played international rugby for the British Isles XV on two tours, the 1891 and 1896 tour of South Africa.-Personal life:...
made ten international appearances in international rugby for England and Britain, and another, Frank Hancock
Frank Hancock
Francis Escott "Frank" Hancock was an English-born rugby union centre who played club rugby for Somerset and Cardiff and international rugby for Wales. Hancock is best known as being the sport's first fourth threequarter player, which changed the formation of rugby union play that lasts to the...
captained Wales in the same sport. Of the ten brothers, seven, including William, played rugby union for Somerset. His nephew, Frank Hancock's son Ralph
Ralph Hancock (cricketer)
Ralph Escott Hancock played first-class cricket for Somerset in nine matches between 1907 and 1914. He was born at Llandaff in Glamorgan and died in the First World War at Festubert, La Bassee, France....
, played cricket for Somerset in nine matches between 1907 and 1914.
Personal life and death
Hancock married Margaret Hay Sweet Escott in 1899 and the couple had four children. He suffered from abdominal pain for 18 months, which in December 1909 became worse and he was forced to rest in bed for four weeks. Initially the symptoms appeared to have faded, but the acute pain returned, and Hancock required an operation for appendicitisAppendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...
. The operation was successful, and Hancock was making a good recovery until four days later. He died of pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism is a blockage of the main artery of the lung or one of its branches by a substance that has travelled from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream . Usually this is due to embolism of a thrombus from the deep veins in the legs, a process termed venous thromboembolism...
and thrombosis
Thrombosis
Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. When a blood vessel is injured, the body uses platelets and fibrin to form a blood clot to prevent blood loss...
the following day.