Tom Shires

G. Tom Shires (22 November 1925 – 18 October 2007) was an American trauma surgeon. He is known for his research on shock, which initiated the current practice of giving saline to trauma and surgical patients. He operated on John Connally and Lee Harvey Oswald after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Born in Waco, Texas, USA, Shires was brought up in Dallas. He gained a B.S. degree from the University of Texas (1944), and an M.D. degree from th... more

G. Tom Shires (22 November 1925 – 18 October 2007) was an American trauma surgeon. He is known for his research on shock, which initiated the current practice of giving saline to trauma and surgical patients. He operated on John Connally and Lee Harvey Oswald after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Born in Waco, Texas, USA, Shires was brought up in Dallas. He gained a B.S. degree from the University of Texas (1944), and an M.D. degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School (1948). He was married to Robbie Jo Shires; the couple had a son and two daughters. Shires died of gastrointestinal cancer at Henderson, Nevada in 2007. Shires served his residency at the Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. He worked at the U.S. Naval Medical Research Institute in Bethesda (1949–1950) and as a surgeon in the U.S. Navy on the hospital ship USS Haven (1953–55). In 1957, he joined the faculty of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, becoming chair of... less