Charles Thurstan Holland


Charles Thurstan Holland was a general practitioner in Liverpool who was best known by his pioneering research in the field of Radiology. The Thurstan Holland sign is named after him.

Life

Charles Thurstan Holland was born in March 1863 at Bridgwater, Somerset to William Thomas Holland and his wife Florence Holland, the second daughter of painter Charles Allen Du Val.
He studied medicine at the University College in London, qualifying in 1888. From October 1896 to 1904 he was honorary radiologist to the Royal Liverpool Hospital and from 1904 to 1923 to the Liverpool Royal Infirmary.
He started research on Radiology in 1896, after reading about Wilhelm Röntgen's experiments in this field. Thanks to his meticulous work and advancements in his technique, Holland was able to produce radiographs that were far in advance for many years, compared to the standard practice. Along with such names as Heinrich Albers-Schönberg, Antoine Béclère, Etienne Henrard, Guido Holzknecht and Robert Kienböck, Thurstan Holland is considered one of the pioneers in Europe.
Holland took part in the First World War as a Major in the Royal Army Medical Corps, and his abilities as radiologist were invaluable in treating patients with bullets lodged in their bodies. By the end of the War, a number of proposals on how to measure the intensity of X-rays had been made, but there was little agreement between the various parties concerned. In 1925 the British Institute of Radiology, under Holland's leadership invited delegates from a number of countries to attend the First International Congress on Radiation in London. This congress set up a framework for future meetings — future congresses would meet every three years in a different country, and be organised by the host country.
Thurstan Holland was also a talented photographer, being elected the first President of the Lancashire and Cheshire Photographers' Society.
He died on 16 January 1941 in Liverpool.

Publications and citations

1890s