Cuthbert Esquire Dukes OBE (24 July 1890 – 3 February 1977)[1] was an English physician, pathologist and author, for whom the Dukes classification for colorectal cancer is named.

Cuthbert Dukes
Dukes next to his microscope
Born24 July 1890 (1890-07-24)
Died3 February 1977(1977-02-03) (aged 86)
NationalityBritish
EducationUniversity of Edinburgh
Known forDukes classification
Medical career
ProfessionPathologist
FieldPathology, Urology
InstitutionsUniversity College London

Career

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Dukes was educated at Caterham School.[2] He graduated with an M.D. thesis entitled Effect of severe haemorrhage and shock on the condition of the blood from the University of Edinburgh in 1914.[3] His field of choice was pathology. He served in the Royal Army Medical Corps that was attached to the Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) during World War I and was awarded the OBE for his services. After the war's end he became a demonstrator in bacteriology at University College in London, and in 1922, was the first pathologist to join the staff of St Mark's Hospital. It was there that he began his recognized studies on the pathology of colon cancer. He wrote several books based on his findings.

In 1924 he started the Polyposis Registry with John Lockhart-Mummery which kept data on people with inherited multiple polyps.[4]

A meticulous researcher who took personal pleasure in the many cases in which his findings helped patients with colon cancer, Dukes, apparently in accordance to his humble Quaker faith, refused all honours despite the wishes of his former colleagues and lived quietly at his home in Wimbledon until his death at the age of 86.

He was the younger brother of British playwright Ashley Dukes and MI6 agent Sir Paul Dukes.

Selected publications

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Books

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  • Dukes, Cuthbert (1924) Joseph Lister (1827-1912), London : Leonard Parsons.

Articles

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  • Dukes, Cuthbert (1935) "In the boyhood of the race" Friends' quarterly examiner; Vol.69; no.274 (Fourth Month 1935), pp. 117–126
  • Dukes, Cuthbert (1937) "What does Quakerism mean to me? Friends' quarterly examiner; Vol.71; no.282 (Fourth Month 1937), p. 131-134

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Olson, James Stuart (1989). The History of Cancer: An Annotated Bibliography. ABC-CLIO. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-313-25889-3.
  2. ^ "Dukes, Cuthbert Esquire (1890 - 1977)". Plarr's Lives of the Fellows. Royal College of Surgeons of England. 26 November 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  3. ^ Dukes, Cuthbert Esquire (1918). Effect of severe haemorrhage and shock on the condition of the blood (Doctoral thesis). University of Edinburgh. hdl:1842/21215.
  4. ^ "History of the Polyposis Registry". St Mark's Hospital. Retrieved 18 October 2021.(subscription required)

Further reading

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