author
Frederick Treves
1853–1923
Best known for pioneering appendix surgery and for his care of Joseph Merrick, he was one of the most prominent British surgeons of the late Victorian and Edwardian years. His life joined medical innovation, royal service, and a gift for vivid writing.
3 Audiobooks
The Riviera of the Corniche Road
by Frederick Treves
The Tale of a Field Hospital
by Frederick Treves
The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences
by Frederick Treves
About the author
Born in Dorchester, Dorset, in 1853, Sir Frederick Treves built his career in London and became one of Britain's leading surgeons. He trained at the London Hospital, later taught anatomy, and earned a reputation for bold, skillful abdominal surgery at a time when such operations were still dangerous.
He is especially remembered for advancing the surgical treatment of appendicitis and for operating on the future Edward VII in 1902, a procedure widely credited with helping save the king's life. Treves is also closely linked with Joseph Merrick, long known as the "Elephant Man"; his account of Merrick helped preserve that story for later generations.
Alongside his medical work, Treves was a successful author whose books drew on his travels and professional experience. He died in 1923, leaving behind a legacy that reaches beyond medicine into popular history and biography.