Physician. He was a pioneer British surgeon at the Royal London Hospital starting in 1871, who was an expert in human anatomy. After attending a private elite boy's school, he entered London Hospital Medical College to study medicine. He passed the membership examinations for the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1875, and in 1878 those for the fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons. He began his career as a general practitioner before becoming a surgeon, specializing in abdominal surgery, at the London Hospital in the late 19th and early 20th century. On June 29, 1888, he performed the first appendectomy in England in an era without antibiotics and little anesthesia. He received fame for his care of "The Elephant Man," Joseph Merrick, aka John Merrick, providing care for over four years. During the Second Boar War, he volunteered to work at a military field hospital in South Africa. From this war experience, he wrote "The Tale of a Field Hospital" and articles for the "British Medical Journal." In 1900, his eighteen-year-old daughter, Hetty, developed severe abdominal pain, yet he was not sure it was appendicitis and waited. The inflamed appendix ruptured in an era with no antibiotics meaning his daughter developed peritonitis and died. He was the Royal Surgeon to Edward VII, who was diagnosed with appendicitis days before his Coronation. Even though there were guests in London from around the world planning to attend the royal event, the appendectomy was done in a timely manner on June 24th with the Coronation postponed until August 9, 1902. For this reason, Treves was knighted. He retired from surgery a wealthy man at age 50 and wrote travel books, including the very popular Dorset edition of the series "Highways and Byways." After dying from peritonitis in Switzerland, he was cremated and his ashes returned to England. His ashes are buried at Dorchester Cemetery. Thomas Hardy, well-known poet and author, was among the hundreds who attended his funeral. He and Hardy were members of The Society of Dorset Men, with him being the first president of the group and Hardy the second.