Thomas Cecil Gray
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Thomas Cecil Gray
CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
KCSG KCSG (channel 8) is a television station licensed to Cedar City, Utah, United States, airing programming from the classic television network MeTV. Owned and operated by network parent Weigel Broadcasting, the station maintains studios on West 1 ...
(11 March 1913 – 5 January 2008) was a pioneering English
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 medicine, a ...
.


Early life

Gray was born in
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
in 1913. The only son of Thomas and Ethel Gray of Thornton, he was educated at
Ampleforth College Ampleforth College is a co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding and day school in the English Public school (United Kingdom), public school tradition. It opened in 1803 as a boys' school. It is near the villa ...
in Yorkshire. At the age of 18, he joined the order of monks at the Benedictine college of Ampleforth, but after two months it became clear that this was not the vocation for him and he returned to Liverpool to pursue medicine, qualifying in 1937.


Professional life

He began a career in General Practice, giving anaesthetics for his patients when they needed surgery. Anaesthesia became his main interest, and he gained a Diploma in Anaesthetics in 1941. He developed an extensive practice in the leading local hospitals, before joining the
Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) was a specialist corps in the British Army which provided medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. On 15 November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army De ...
. He was posted to a mobile neurosurgical unit in Oxford, and later to North Africa. Returning to Liverpool University in 1947 as Reader, he established the Department of Anaesthesia, and introduced
tubocurarine Tubocurarine (also known as ''d''-tubocurarine or DTC) is a toxic benzylisoquinoline alkaloid historically known for its use as an arrow poison. In the mid-1900s, it was used in conjunction with an anesthetic to provide skeletal muscle relaxat ...
with mechanical lung ventilation. This became known as the 'Liverpool technique', based on the triad of unconsciousness, analgesia and muscle relaxation, with a markedly lower complication rate than deep inhalational anaesthesia. Gray introduced train-of-four monitoring, still used today. He also worked with Gordon Jackson Rees at Liverpool, developing safer methods for paediatric anaesthesia. Cecil Gray made a great contribution to postgraduate education, organising the first "day-release" course in Britain for junior anaesthetists preparing for their examinations. The course attracted trainees from all over Europe, the Far East, the Middle East, Australia, Africa and India.


Honours

A foundation member of Faculty of Anaesthetists of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1948, he served as vice-dean in 1952 and dean in 1964. Gray was the editor of the
British Journal of Anaesthesia The ''British Journal of Anaesthesia'' is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal published by Elsevier on behalf of the Royal College of Anaesthetists (and its Faculty of Pain Medicine), the College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland, and the Hong ...
from 1948 to 1964. He was President of the Section of Anaesthetics of the
Royal Society of Medicine The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is a medical society based at 1 Wimpole Street, London, UK. It is a registered charity, with admission through membership. Its Chief Executive is Michele Acton. History The Royal Society of Medicine (R ...
in 1955 and the first anaesthetist to be awarded the Sir Arthur Sims Commonwealth Travelling Fellowship by the RCS (England). An active council member of the
Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland The Association of Anaesthetists, in full the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (AAGBI), is a professional association for anaesthesiology, anaesthetists in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It was f ...
, Gray served as treasurer and as president (1957–1959). In 1959, he was awarded a personal chair in anaesthesia at the
University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...
and was made Dean of the Faculty of Medicine in 1970, retiring in 1976, but continued to give occasional lectures. Gray was appointed
CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
in 1976 by Her Majesty
Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
of the United Kingdom and in 1982 was honoured by
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
with the membership of the
Order of St. Gregory the Great The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great (; ) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope. The order is one of the five Papal order of knighthood, orders of knighthood of th ...
as a Knight Commander. In 2007 the
Liverpool Echo The ''Liverpool Echo'' is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales – a subsidiary company of Reach plc and is based in St. Paul's Square, Liverpool, England. It is published Monday through Sunday, and is Liverpool's da ...
included him in its list of the 800 greatest Liverpudlians, as part of Liverpool's 800th anniversary.


Private life

He married twice, his first wife was Marjorie Kathleen Hely in 1937, they had 2 children, and she died in 1978. He then married Pamela Mary Corning in 1979, with whom he had 1 son. He also had four grandchildren. A
requiem mass A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is u ...
was held at
Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, officially known as the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King and locally nicknamed "Paddy's Wigwam", is the cathedral, seat of the Archbishop of Liverpool and the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdi ...
on 26 January 2008.


Publications

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Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Thomas Cecil 1913 births 2008 deaths 20th-century English medical doctors English anaesthetists Academics of the University of Liverpool Alumni of the University of Liverpool Royal Army Medical Corps officers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Knights Commander of the Order of St Gregory the Great People educated at Ampleforth College Scientists from Liverpool British Army personnel of World War II Presidents of the Association of Anaesthetists