Hugh Owen Thomas, and his condemning of bonesetting—“The lady doth protest too much, methinks”: A reexamination

Abstract

Hugh Owen Thomas (1834–1891) is considered to be the father of British orthopedics. Hugh Owen Thomas came from a bonesetting family in Anglesey, Wales. Although raised and taught in the methods of bonesetting, he, later on, came to harshly condemn bonesetting, both by unqualified bonesetters and qualified medical practitioners as well. Writers on Hugh Owen Thomas's life questioned his harsh condemning of bonesetting, as this method of treatment helped many patients, and wondered why he was so critical of it. This paper discusses Hugh Owen Thomas's views on bonesetting and gives some discussion on why he was so critical, critical to the point of being polemic and argumentative on the subject.