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"In his approach to research, the quality
of his work, his thinking and his brilliant communication
skills, he was a
Caribbean role model." Professor
Henry Fraser
Dr Theodosius Poon-King is credited for his
groundbreaking work on diabetes, the eradication of acute
nephritis and the reduction of the high incidence of rheumatic
fever in Trinidad. He received several honours for his
world-famous research, including Trinidad and Tobago's Chaconia
Medal (Gold) in 1975.
Theodosius Poon-King
was born on 4th January, 1928 in Biche, Trinidad. He
attended Biche Canadian Mission School and Arouca Boys' RC
School and then St. Mary's College, where he excelled in
languages and history. In his first year, he studied by
lamplight before electricity came to his village. His
dedication paid off when he won a House Scholarship in 1942, the
Jerningham Book Prize in Classics in 1945 and the Trinidad Open
Scholarship in Classics in 1946.
He entered medical
school at University College Dublin (now known as the National
University of Ireland) and graduated with first class honours in
1953, winning three gold medals. Poon-King later completed
a bachelor's degree in pathology and physiology in 1955.
He did postgraduate training in cardiology at Harvard Medical
School in Massachusetts, USA, working with the research group in
the Arteriosclerosis Unit of the Massachusetts General Hospital
that identified four new risk factors for coronary heart
disease. He continued his postgraduate training in
endocrinology as House Physician at the Royal Postgraduate
Medical School, London where he developed a passion for
research.
In 1958, he
took up the post of Specialist Physician at the San Fernando
General Hospital. He discovered that scorpion stings
caused inflammation of the heart muscle and published the report
in the British Medical Journal. In 1960, he
undertook an extensive study on diabetes in Trinidad, which
revealed a very high incidence of the disease in the population
and noted heredity, obesity and multiparity as key risk factors.
These findings were reported in the prestigious medical journal,
The Lancet, in 1968.
Dr Poon-King
established the Streptococcal Disease Unit at the San Fernando
General Hospital in 1966, to investigate and control the
epidemics of acute nephritis and the high incidence of rheumatic
fever in south Trinidad. With his co-researchers, he
discovered four new types of streptococci during epidemics from
1965 to 1971, and published many papers on streptococcal
diseases. Today, the Unit's research and control measures
have virtually eliminated these diseases from south Trinidad.
 In
1974, Dr Poon-King pioneered research on paraquat poisoning with
Dr Rasheed Rahaman and Dr Edward Addo and in 1986, published a
new treatment regime in The Lancet. He also studied
yellow fever and identified the first person with the virus in
an outbreak in 1977.
Dr Theodosius Poon-King retains his humility,
saying that he has always seen research as a part of his work in
medicine. To young persons, he offers four watchwords -
"self-discipline, enthusiasm, willpower and hard work," noting
that, "to become successful, one should always develop a passion
to work."
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