Eric Anson (22 November 1892 – 5 June 1969) was

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

's first specialist

anaesthetist Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology, or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medici ...

. He was the first President of the New Zealand Society of Anaesthetists (NZSA) and a member of the NZ Committee of the Faculty of Anaesthetists.

Early life and education

Anson was born in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by m ...

and educated at Wangurai Collegiate School. He went to

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

, and then to St Thomas's Hospital St Thomas's Hospital Medical School now part of King's College London, from which he graduated in January 1916.

Career

He served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, and in May 1917 was wounded in action. After the war, he worked as an anaesthetist in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

before returning to New Zealand in 1922 to practise anaesthetics as a specialty – the first New Zealander qualified to do so. Between the wars Anson practised in Wellington and was a key figure in the New Zealand Branch of the

British Medical Association The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association's headquar ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

he served in the New Zealand Army Medical Corps, both in Egypt and on the hospital ship Oranje. From late 1945 to 1957 he was Director of Anaesthetics to the

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

hospitals, where he was a pioneer in cardiothoracic anaesthesia. He was especially well regarded by Sir George Douglas Robb for his ability to have his patients wake up promptly enough to say "Thank you, Mr. Robb" before leaving theatre.

References

* * 1892 births 1969 deaths Alumni of St Thomas's Hospital Medical School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge New Zealand anaesthetists People from Wellington City Royal Navy personnel of World War I 20th-century New Zealand medical doctors New Zealand military personnel of World War II {{NewZealand-mil-bio-stub