Dr Alastair Irvine Gordon Robertson
Personal Details
Dr Alastair Irvine Gordon Robertson MB ChB FFARCS DA
05/07/1916 to 02/02/1998
Place of birth: Edinburgh, Scotland
Nationality: British
CRN: 515777
Education and qualifications
| General education | Medical School, University of Edinburgh 1934-40 (interrupted by treatment of tuberculosis in a sanatorium). |
|---|---|
| Primary medical qualification(s) | MB ChB, University of Edinburgh, 1940. |
| Initial Fellowship and type | FFARCS by Election |
| Year of Fellowship | 1953 |
| Other qualification(s) | DA (RCP&S), 1945 |
Professional life and career
Postgraduate career
After graduation Robertson undertook house jobs, followed by resident anaesthetist in the Scottish E.M.S. According to his obituary, he then became a medical officer on troop ships to the Far East. By early 1945 he returned to Scotland and took on resident anaesthetist posts at Law Junction Hospital and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. Next he moved to University College Hospital (UCH), London for a resident anaesthetist post, promoted to Assistant Anaesthetist in 1948. He then did national service in the Royal Army Medical Corps as a Specialist Anaesthetist. In 1950 he returned to be appointed as a Consultant Anaesthetist at UCH, continuing in this post until his retirement in 1984. He was also Honorary Anaesthetist and Visiting Medical Officer to St Luke’s Nursing Home for the Clergy.
Professional interests and activities
He anaesthetised for a wide range of surgeries, but in the 1960s he became an authority on the management of patients with phaeochromocytoma, publishing three papers.
Other biographical information
A shy, modest man, he married June Brown in 1965 and they had a son. Generously, he bequeathed much of his little private practice to his juniors. He died at the age of 81 years, survived by his family.
Author and sources
Author:
Dr Alistair McKenzie
Sources and comments:
[1] Kaufman L. Obituary Alastair Irvine Gordon Robertson. BMJ 1998; 316: 1613. [2] Medical Registers and Directories. [3] ancestry.co.uk