Thomas Lewis (cardiologist): Difference between revisions

 

After the war, he established the clinical research department at UCH and continued his work on [[cardiac arrhythmia]]. In 1925 he switched his focus from cardiography to vascular reactions of the skin. In 1917 he had shown that [[capillaries]] had independent contractions and he now investigated the response of the skin to injury, leading to the 1927 monograph ''The Blood Vessels of the Human Skin and their Responses''. He was awarded the [[Royal Society]]'s [[Royal Medal]] in 1927 "for his researches on the vascular system, following upon his earlier work on the mammalian heart-beat." Next, he switched his focus to [[peripheral vascular disease]], especially [[Raynaud's disease]], and finally to the mechanism of pain, summarising his findings in ''Pain'' in 1942. His 1932 book ''Diseases of the Heart'' became a standard medical text. In 1930 he described the [[Hunting reaction]], alternating vasodilation and vasoconstriction of peripheral capillaries in cold environments.

In 1930, he founded the [[Medical Research Society]]. He was awarded the Royal Society's [[Copley Medal]] in 1941 "for his clinical and experimental investigations upon the mammalian heart." He was only the second clinician to receive it, after [[Lord Lister]] in 1902. He served as vice-president of the Royal Society from 1943 to 1945.