Anaesthesia was introduced into surgery in 1846 and for the first 100 years little progress was made. It remained essentially a craft learned by experience rather than a science. Full-time anaesthetists were rare, anaesthetics being administered by general practitioners or any hospital doctors. The

Frankis Tilney Evans was born on 9 March 1900. He trained at St Bartholomew's Hospital but in the first world war was seconded to the RNVR during his clinical course, serving in destroyers on convoy duty and in minesweepers. Thus began a lifelong love of the sea and ships. Returning to Bart's he gra

Ashley Skeffington Daly was born on 12 July 1882, his father being an MD in practice in Hackney. He was educated at the Merchant Taylors School and the London Hospital and qualified MRCS, LRCP in 1905. He obtained the DA England in 1935 and was one of the first to practise anaesthetics as a speciali

Ivan Magill was born at Larne, Northern Ireland on 23 July 1888 the son of Samuel, a draper and Sara (née Whiteside). He was educated at Larne Grammar School and Queen's University, Belfast, a strong young man of "enviable physique" being a rugby forward and a heavy-weight boxer for the university.

Robert Reynolds Macintosh was born in Timaru, New Zealand, on 17 October 1897 the son of Charles N Macintosh, a surveyor who had been a member of the first rugby football team representing New Zealand abroad in 1893, and his wife Beatrice, née Thompson. He was educated at Waitaki Boys' High School a

John Wyman, known to his friends as 'Jabe' or 'JB', was born in London on 24 May 1916, the son of Louis Wyman, who was in the clothing business, and his wife Bertha. He was educated at Davenant Foundation School and King's College London, going on to the Westminster Hospital Medical School for his c

Jean-Pierre van Besouw, known to most simply as 'J-P', was a consultant anaesthetist and honorary senior lecturer at St George's Hospital, London and president of the Royal College of Anaesthetists from 2012 to 2015. He was born on 20 April 1957 in Dublin, Ireland, the son of Jos and Anne van Besouw

Professor Michael Rosen was a pioneering anaesthetist and former president of the Royal College of Anaesthetists. This is a draft obituary. If you have any information about this surgeon or are interested in writing this obituary, please email lives@rcseng.ac.uk

Thomas Babington ‘Tom’ Boulton was a consultant anaesthetist at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading. This is a draft obituary. If you have any information about this surgeon or are interested in writing this obituary, please email lives@rcseng.ac.uk

John Holford Cook began his career as an ophthalmologist, but later re-trained as an anaesthetist. Born on 16 May 1943, in the middle of the Second World War, he did not meet his father until he was three years old. He studied medicine at the Royal Free Hospital, London, and, following qualificati

Graduated with honours at Owens College, Manchester, was House Surgeon at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, and Resident Medical Officer at the Children's Hospital, Pendlebury. He settled in practice at Worcester in 1909 in partnership with T P Gostling, and became Anaesthetist and afterwards Surgeon

Born at Bolton, Lancashire, on 12 May 1894, fourth child and eldest son of John Edward Panton, MD, MRCS, in practice there, and Emma Louisa Allison, his wife. He was educated at Ilminster Grammar School, Somerset, and Bolton Church Institute, at the Victoria University of Manchester, where he gradua