28 Facts About Victor Bonney

William Francis Victor Bonney FRCP FRCS was a prominent British gynaecological surgeon.

Victor Bonney was described by Geoffrey Chamberlain as "a primary influence on world gynaecology in the years between the wars".

Victor Bonney became experienced in the radical extended Wertheim hysterectomy for treating cervical cancer, performing more than 500 of these in his lifetime.

Victor Bonney developed a surgical clamp to reduce post-myomectomy haemorrhage, established operative techniques to reduce post-operative haematomas and modified the Reverdin needle.

Victor Bonney was born on 17 December 1872 at Chelsea.

Victor Bonney received his basic education at a private school.

Victor Bonney was trained at St Bartholomew's Hospital but transferred to the Middlesex Hospital, with his intention to become a physician.

Victor Bonney was awarded with MBBS in 1896, and MD two years later.

Victor Bonney was accepted as a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians the following year.

Victor Bonney, subsequently spent the next four decades developing techniques in gynaecological cancer surgery, operations that conserved fertility, antiseptic techniques, after care of the bowel following pelvic surgery and advocating Lower segment Caesarean section as an alternative to traditional caesarian section.

Victor Bonney was acknowledged for his speed and utilised two chauffeur driven cars when travelling to perform surgery in peoples private homes and nursing homes, with one car transporting the operating equipment ahead of his arrival.

Victor Bonney had his own operating clothing which was washed at home.

Victor Bonney had the experience, with his colleague Berkeley, of operating on thousands of wounded soldiers who arrived at Clacton, Essex throughout the First World War, procedures including extracting bullets, and shrapnel.

Victor Bonney regarded the traditional caesarean section as bloody and when he gave the Bradshaw lecture in 1934, he referred to it as a "smash and grab raid".

Victor Bonney endorsed the lower segment caesarean section and prevented excessive bleeding by making use of his uterine compresser.

Victor Bonney was a pioneer figure in the domain of cervical cancer and commanded immense fame in the radical procedure of Wertheim hysterectomy, performing 500 of these in the course of his career.

Victor Bonney was a strong proponent for organ-conservation, including preserving the ovaries using techniques in ovarian cystectomy in the case of ovarian cysts and played a pioneer role in the reintroduction of myomectomy-procedures to mainstream surgery in place of radical hysterectomy.

Victor Bonney went on to perform over 700 myomectomies across his career-span.

Victor Bonney established a skin-procedure to provide a sterile area for gynaecological procedures.

Victor Bonney took lessons at a drawing school in order to learn how to produce the illustrations for each and contributed 611 drawings to the Textbook and 242 to The Technical Minutiae.

Victor Bonney's Textbook was still in print in 2004, in its 10th edition, as Bonney's Gynaecological Surgery with new editors and authors.

Victor Bonney was elected as the vice-president of the Royal College of Surgeons and vociferously objected to the formation of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, with the opinion that obstetricians and gynaecologists were surgeons too.

Victor Bonney was the first honorary fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and an honorary fellow of the Association of Surgeons, the American Gynaecological Society, and did eventually become an honorary fellow of the RCOG.

Victor Bonney was an accomplished baritone and was a skilled salmon-fisherman.

Victor Bonney met his future wife Annie, while he was a resident and she was a sister at the Chelsea Hospital for Women in London.

Victor Bonney died in the Middlesex Hospital on 4 July 1953, aged 81.

In 1956 his wife gave the Royal College of Surgeons the portrait of Victor Bonney painted by Oswald Birley.

Victor Bonney wrote more than two hundred medical articles and a number of books:.