Thomas Rumley

Thomas Rumley (c. 1792 – March 1856) was the president of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) in 1841.

He was born in Dublin, the son of port inspector Forward Rumley.In April, 1811, he was indentured to John Kirby, and studied in the College and Kirby's schools. On the 25th June, 1815, he passed the Licentiate at RCSI, and on the 9th November, 1818, he was elected a Member. He engaged in surgical and medical practice, but did not become attached to any hospital. Having long suffered severely from gout, he died at his residence, 37 York-street, in March, 1856, and was interred on the 30th of that month in Glasnevin Cemetery.

In 1832 Rumley and A. Stokes were deputed to investigate a case of supposed cholera at Kingstown. Although neither of them had any previous experience of the disease, they pronounced the case to be one of Asiatic cholera. The inhabitants were annoyed that their town should be pronounced infected with cholera, and an infuriated mob attacked Stokes and Rumley, who narrowly escaped with their lives. Soon after this event cholera became epidemic in Ireland.