Department History

2001 marked the Department of Anesthesia's 50th year as a formally designated department at the University of Toronto. The rich history of the department has been documented as a collection of memoirs and other documents in A Commemorative History of the Department of Anaesthesia (2004). Edited by Robert Byrick along with Joan Bevan and David McKnight, the volume chronicles the history of the Department of Anesthesia and the Faculty of Medicine from its origins as King's College through to the present emphasis on education and research.

Several hard copies are available, please contact our offices at  anesthesia@utoronto.ca if you would like to obtain a copy.

Table of Contents

Preface - Martin L Friedland

Introduction 
     The first 50 Years - Robert Byrick, Joan Bevan, David McKnight

Timeline
     The Evolution of the Department of Anaesthesia - Joan Bevan

The Foundation of Academic Anaesthesia in Toronto
     Cylcopropane: A Varsity Gift to Mankind - Kim Turner
     My Career: The War Years - Roderick A Gordon

The Early Years
     A Year on Ward B: Toronto General Hospital 1952-1953 - Stuart Vanderwater
     Toronto General Hospital (1955-1959) - Barrie Fairley
     Pharmacogenetics: Toronto 1952-1964 - Werner Kalow
     Citation for RA Gordon - Sir Gordon Robson
     Lagos University Project - RA Gordon

The University-Affiliated Hospitals
     Development of a Collaborative Practice Plan - Robert Byrick
     Toronto General Hospital - John Desmond, David Bevan
     Toronto Western Hospital - Ron Crago, Michael Campbell, Martyn Roberts
     Toronto East General Hospital - Robert Chaplin
     Hospital for Sick Children - Alan Conn, Jeremy Sloan, David Steward, Robert Creighton
     Mount Sinai Hospital - Saul M Eisen, Len Eisen, Elzibieta Pereira
     St. Michael's Hospital - Arthur Dunn, Keith Rose, William H Noble, Coln Kay
     Women's College Hospital - Dorothy Thompson, Jean Kronberg
     Sunnybrook Hospital - Kirk Weber, Doreen Yee, Hugh Devitt
     Wellesley Hospital - Simon tindal, Deric Wrigley, Foster Smith, Abe Katz

Growth of Academic Anaesthesia (1960-1985)
     Malignant Hyperthermia - Werner Kalow
     Reflection on an Experience at HSC - Kester Brown
     Reflections on a Decade as Chair - Arthur A Scott
     Nagoya City University Visiting Professor Program - Professor Katsuya, Takako Tsuda
     Physliology Laboratory at Hospital for Sick Children - Charles Bryan
     Working with Charlie - Alison Frose
     Family Practice Anaesthesia Program - Brian Coggins
     Academic Anaesthesia 50 Years Later - Robert Byrick