Sir Henry Sessions Souttar CBE FRCS (14 December 1875 – 12 November 1964) was a British surgeon with a wide breadth of interests.
In 1904 he married Catharine Edith, daughter of Robert Bellamy Clifton, professor of experimental philosophy at Oxford.
He had his own workshop where he designed and made many surgical instruments, with the aim of improving existing operative procedures.
His inventions included: a flanged tube to overcome obstructions in the gullet, a steam cautery to sterilize and clean breaking-down tumours and ulcers on the skin, and a craniotome to open the skull in brain operations.
[1] With the introduction of radium in the treatment of malignant tumours, Souttar’s mathematical skill in assessing both dose and range was very valuable and he chaired many committees on this subject.
He made an opening in the appendage of the left atrium and inserted a finger in order to explore and correct the damaged mitral valve.
[2][3] Souttar was instrumental in the foundation of the faculties of Dental surgery and Anaesthetists at the Royal College of Surgeons.
Souttar died at his London home on 12 November 1964; the funeral service was held at St Marylebone Church, of which he had been a churchwarden for many years.