Theodore Howard Somervell OBE (16 April 1890 - 23 January 1975) was a British surgeon, mountaineer and missionary who was a member of two expeditions to Mount Everest in the 1920s, and then spent nearly 40 years working as a doctor in India. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Events 1178 BC - A Solar eclipse may have marked the return of Odysseus, legendary King of Ithaca, to his kingdom Year 1890 ( MDCCCXC) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 393 - Roman Emperor Theodosius I proclaims his nine year old son Honorius co-emperor Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located In Medicine, a surgeon is a person who performs Surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive Medical treatment that involves the cutting of a “Alpinist” redirects here See also Alpinist (magazine Mountaineering is the Sport, Hobby or Profession of A missionary is a member of a Religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith someone who proselytizes. Mount Everest, also called Sagarmatha (सगरमाथा meaning Head of the Sky) or Chomolungma, Qomolangma or Zhumulangma (in India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country
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Early life
Somervell was born in Kendal to a well-off family which owned a shoe-manufacturing business. Kendal is a Market town and Civil parish within the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. He attended Rugby School, and at the age of eighteen joined the Fell and Rock Climbing Club, beginning an interest in climbing and mountaineering which would last a lifetime. Rugby School, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, is a Co-educational Boarding school and one of the oldest public schools The Fell & Rock Climbing Club of the English Lake District (in everyday usage the Fell and Rock Club or FRCC) is the senior Climbing club covering the UserStan Shebs for a timetable --> Climbing is the activity of using one's hands and feet (or After completing his schooling, he studied at Caius College, Cambridge where he developed his strong Christian faith and gained First Class Honours in the Natural Sciences Tripos. Gonville and Caius College Cambridge is a constituent College of Cambridge University, one of the world's most academically respected institutions Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading scheme for Undergraduate degrees ( Bachelor's degrees and some Master's degrees The University of Cambridge has an undergraduate degree programme in Natural sciences termed the Natural Sciences Tripos ( NST or He then began training as a surgeon at University College Hospital; eventually graduating in 1921 after his training had been interrupted by the First World War. University College Hospital is a Teaching hospital in London, England, part of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All [1]
World War I
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Between 1915 and 1918 Somervell served in France with the Royal Army Medical Corps. P C John was an evangelist and Bible teacher among the Syrian Christians and the Plymouth Brethren for 38 years This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Royal Army Medical Corps ( RAMC) is a specialist Corps in the British Army which provides Medical services to all British Army He was commissioned as a lieutenant with the West Lancashire Casualty Clearing Station on 17 May 1915, having previously been a member of the University of London Officer Training Corps. First Lieutenant is a Military rank. The rank of Lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations (see Comparative military ranks Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason. Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The University of London is a university based primarily in London, England, UK. [2][3] He was Mentioned in Despatches,[1] but the horrors of the war had a profound effect on him. Mentioned in Despatches (MID is a Military award for gallantry or otherwise commendable service During the Battle of the Somme in 1916 he was one of four surgeons working in a tent, while hundreds of wounded men lay dying on stretchers outside. The Battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme Offensive, fought from July to November 1916 was among the largest battles of the First World War A stretcher is a Medical device used to carry casualties or an incapacitated person from one place to another On short breaks from surgery, he spoke with some of the dying men, and noted that not one asked to be treated ahead of the others. The experience immediately turned Somervell into a pacifist, a belief he continued to hold for the rest of his life. [4] He relinquished his commission in 1921, by which time he held the rank of captain. [5]
First Everest expedition
By 1922, Somervell had shown himself a capable climber in the Lake District and the Alps, and he was invited to join the 1922 British Everest expedition. The Lake District, also known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a rural area in North West England. See also Mount Everest Timeline 1921 Reconnaissance expedition The first British expedition – organized and financed by the newly formed During the expedition, he formed a close friendship with George Mallory, and the two famously read Shakespeare to one another in their tent at night. George Herbert Leigh Mallory ( 18 June 1886 &ndash 8 June / 9 June 1924) was an English Mountaineer who took William Shakespeare ( baptised [6] By May 18th, Somervell, Mallory and two other climbers and several Sherpa porters had established camp on the North Col, at 7020 metres the highest man has ever camped, and prepared to make the first ever attempt on the summit of Everest along the North Ridge and then the Northeast Ridge. For other uses of the word Sherpa see Sherpa (disambiguation. A porter, also called a bearer, is a person who carries objects The North Col refers to the pass or col connecting Mount Everest and Changtse in Tibet. Their plan had been to establish a further camp at around 8000 m, but in the thin air it proved impossible to climb as quickly at they hoped, and they were forced to send the Sherpas down and make camp on a cramped ledge at around 7600 m. The following day, exhausted and suffering from frostbite, they reached a height of 8170 m before turning round, realising that they had no hope of reaching the summit before dark. Frostbite ( congelatio in Medical terminology) is the Medical condition whereby damage is caused to Skin and other tissues They had set a world altitude record, but such is the scale of Everest that they had not even reached the junction with the Northeast Ridge. [7]
Over the next few days a second group of climbers Geoffrey Bruce and George Finch, using oxygen, made a second unsuccessful attempt on the summit. George Ingle Finch FRS ( 4 August 1888 – 22 November 1970) was a chemist and mountaineer Oxygen (from the Greek roots ὀξύς (oxys (acid literally "sharp" from the taste of acids and -γενής (-genēs (producer literally begetteris the With the weakened climbers back at Base Camp (only Somervell was considered fit to continue by the expedition doctor), and the weather becoming worse with the imminent arrival of the monsoon, Somervell and Mallory argued that the team should make a third attempt, against the advice of Charles Bruce, the expedition leader. A monsoon is a seasonal prevailing wind which lasts for several months Brigadier-General Charles Granville Bruce, CB, MVO ( 7 April 1866 at London – 12 July 1939 at London [8] On the 7th June, Somervell was part of a party of four British climbers leading fifteen Sherpas through waist-deep fresh snow on the slopes below the North Col. An avalanche occurred, killing seven Sherpas. This article refers to the natural event For other uses see Avalanche (disambiguation An avalanche is an abrupt and rapid flow of snow often [9] Somervell was shocked, and felt great guilt that it was the Sherpas who had paid the price for the poor judgement of the British climbers, writing
"I would gladly at that moment have been lying there dead in the snow, if only to give those fine chaps who had survived the feeling that we shared their loss, as we had shared their risk. "[10]
Travels in India
With the expedition over, Somervell set out to see India, travelling from the far north to Cape Comorin. For other uses of Kanyakumari, please see Kanyakumari (disambiguation. He was shocked by the poverty he saw, and in particular the poor medical facilities. At the main hospital of the south Travancore medical mission in Neyyoor he found a single surgeon struggling to cope with a long queue of waiting patients, and immediately offered to assist. Travancore or Thiruvithaamkoor ( Malayalam: തിരുവിതാങ്കൂര് "Thiru" (respectful prefix which suggests either royal or On his return to Britain, he abandoned his promising medical career, and announced his intention to work in India permanently after his next attempt on Everest. [1]
Second Everest expedition
Somervell returned to Everest with the 1924 expedition. See also Mount Everest Timeline 1921 Reconnaissance expedition The first British expedition – organized and financed by the newly formed Throughout the expedition he was dogged by a sore throat, hacking cough and occasional difficulty breathing, but remained one of the strongest members of the team. The team's first summit attempt was aborted due to bad weather, and during the retreat four porters who had refused to descend the avalanche prone slopes below the North Col were left sitting on a ledge overnight. Somervell led the rescue operation the next morning, undertaking a delicate traverse of the avalanche slope to reach the four men. [11]
Once the team had regrouped and high camps re-established, Somervell made the next summit attempt with Edward Norton. Edward Felix Norton ( 21 February 1884 – 3 November 1954) was a British army officer and mountaineer Setting out from Camp VI at 6:40 a. m. on 4 June, they made a traverse of the North Face below the Northeast Ridge. Somervell, racked by coughing fits, decided at noon that he could go no further. Norton continued alone for a short distance before judging that snow conditions were too dangerous for a lone, unroped climber. They had reached an altitude of 8570 m; a record which would not be broken, with certainty, until 1952. [12][13]
On the descent, the throat problems which had plagued Somervell reached a climax, and he found himself fighting for his life as some flesh came loose and caused him to choke. Choking is the mechanical obstruction of the flow of air from the environment into the lungs Unable to speak or attract Norton's attention he sat down in the snow to die. He later wrote of what happened next;
"Finally, I pressed my chest with both hands, gave one last almighty push — and the obstruction came up. What a relief! Coughing up a little blood, I once more breathed really freely — more freely than I had done for some days. Though the pain was intense, I was a new man. "[14]
The obstruction was the entire mucous membrane lining Somervell's throat, which had become badly frostbitten in the cold air. The mucous membranes (or mucosae; singular mucosa) are linings of mostly endodermal origin covered in Epithelium, which are involved in [15]
After Everest
From 1925 to 1949, Somervell worked at the south Travancore medical mission, which became one of the largest missionary hospitals in the world. He attracted new staff, and built an innovative viewing gallery in the operating theatre where friends and relatives of the patients could observe the surgery and learn about its benefits. An operating theater (or theatre) was a tiered Theater or Amphitheater in which students and other spectators could watch surgeons perform surgery This helped build trust between the doctors and the surrounding people, and helped encourage sick people to come for treatment earlier than had been the case in the past. He was also an early pioneer of the treatment of leprosy, which until that time had been considered incurable. Leprosy (from the Greek lepi (λέπι meaning scales on a fish or Hansen's disease, is a chronic disease caused by the bacterium For his work at the hospital, he was awarded a Kaisar-I-Hind Medal in 1938. The Kaisar-I-Hind Medal was established by Queen Victoria in 1900 [1]
Somervell became an associate professor of surgery at Vellore Christian Medical College in 1949, a post he would hold until his retirement. Christian Medical College & Hospital Vellore, known simply as "CMC Vellore", was founded by Ida S He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1953 New Year Honours. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The British honours system is a means of rewarding individuals' personal bravery achievement or service to the United Kingdom. [16] On his retirement in 1961 he returned to England, and was President of the Alpine Club for three years. The Alpine Club was founded in London in 1857 and was probably the world's first mountaineering club. He died in Ambleside in 1975. Ambleside is a Town in Cumbria, in north-west England.It is situated at the head of Windermere, England's largest lake A teaching hospital in Trivandrim is now named in his honour. [17]
References
- ^ a b c d Cecil Northcott, ‘Somervell, (Theodore) Howard (1890–1975)’, rev. , Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
- ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 29198, page 5961, 18 June 1915. The Dictionary of National Biography ( DNB) is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history published from 1885 The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the UK in which certain Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Retrieved on 2008-04-14. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in
- ^ London Gazette: no. 29427, page 194, 4 January 1916. The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the UK in which certain Events 46 BC - Titus Labienus defeats Julius Caesar in the Battle of Ruspina. Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Retrieved on 2008-04-14. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in
- ^ Neale, Jonathan (2002). Tigers of the Snow. St Martin's Press, p. 44. ISBN 0312266235.
- ^ London Gazette: no. 32798, page 1305, 23 February 1923. The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the UK in which certain Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved on 2008-04-14. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in
- ^ Unsworth, Walt (2000). Everest - The Mountaineering History, 3rd edition, Bâton Wicks, p. 72. ISBN 978-1898573401.
- ^ Unsworth pp. 84-90
- ^ Neale p. 44
- ^ Unsworth p. 44
- ^ Somervell, T. Howard (1950). After Everest. Hodder & Stoughton, Chapter X. ; Quoted in Unsworth p. 97.
- ^ Unsworth pp. 116-117
- ^ Unsworth pp. 120-122
- ^ It is possible that Mallory and Irvine reached a higher point on their doomed attempt three days later, but there is no definitive proof of this
- ^ Somervell (1950), Chapter XVII, quoted in Unsworth p. George Herbert Leigh Mallory ( 18 June 1886 &ndash 8 June / 9 June 1924) was an English Mountaineer who took Andrew "Sandy" Comyn Irvine (born 8 April 1902; died 8 or 9 June 1924) was an English mountaineer who took 123
- ^ Unsworth p. 730
- ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 39732, page 23, 30 December 1952. The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the UK in which certain Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved on 2008-04-17. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 69 - After the First Battle of Bedriacum, Vitellius becomes Roman Emperor.
- ^ Dr. Somervell Memorial CSI Medical College Hospital. Retrieved on 2008-04-12. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.