Thomas PJ Hennessy, former Regius Professor of Surgery, Trinity College Dublin, died on April 9th. He wrote an autobiography, My Life as a Surgeon, some seven years ago, which provides us with a vivid social history of growing up in Ireland in the mid 20th century.
He was born in 1933 in Graignamanagh, Co Kilkenny, the eldest of two sons. His parents, to whom he was hugely devoted, ran a pub and drapery. His secondary education was at Knockbeg College and, while his father wanted him to go into the family business, he deferred to Tom’s ambition to study medicine at UCD. His progress was focused and methodical and, when it came to “walking the wards”, he chose the Mater Hospital. His early surgical training took him to various hospitals in Ireland and Liverpool but he returned to work again at the Mater, where the seed of his interest in oesophageal surgery was sown. A period of research followed, taking him to Minnesota and the world-renowned department of Owen Wagensteen. He returned to Ireland, and at first joined Prof George Fegan at Trinity College, as lecturer. His next port of call was to Cork University and St Finbar’s Hospital, where he was appointed consultant senior lecturer with Prof Michael Brady. All this time he was consolidating his interest in upper gastrointestinal and oesophageal surgery.
Opportunity knocked when he was appointed to the vacant chair of surgery at Trinity College Dublin in 1974. The specialist department that he established in St James’s was a magnet to many young surgeons and was, arguably, the most productive academic surgical department in Ireland.
His specific interest was in malignant conditions of the oesophagus. A landmark study into the treatment of oesophageal cancer was recognised internationally and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. He became an invited lecturer in many parts of the world and received honorary fellowships from surgical colleges in Edinburgh, Glasgow, South Africa, Malaysia and Pakistan and the American Surgical Association. Election to the Council of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) came in recognition of both his competence and contribution to Irish surgery. It was almost inevitable that the presidency of the RCSI would follow, as it did in 1994 and, during which time, he conferred honorary RCSI fellowships on Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa.
The end of his Trinity appointment was not an easy time. The health of his beloved wife Maura deteriorated dramatically and she died after a difficult final illness.
He was approached by the RCSI and UCD to become the foundation dean and professor of surgery of their new medical college in Penang, Malaysia. Despite the loss of Maura, he went ahead and applied his energies and skills into the shaping of the new school. He loved Penang, the climate and his many friends. Despite this there was, without Maura, an element of loneliness.
One evening, by chance, he met a charming, widowed Swedish banker, Birgitta Buckholt. Over time their relationship blossomed and they were married in 2001. He retired in 2004 and his remaining years were lived out very happily with Birgitta.
Tom was immensely proud of his four children – Anne, Kathy, Lisa and Michael – who were all successful in their various careers in medicine, nursing, teaching and the law, and his 12 grandchildren. They gave him great solace, particularly during his more difficult times, as did his strong Catholic faith. Strength, dependability and wisdom are qualities that most of us would wish for in a surgeon, particularly with the bonus of a strong sense of humour and a kindly, warm disposition. Tom became that surgeon and a very significant one at that. We, who came after him, owe him a huge debt of gratitude.