Dr John Scott Inkster

Personal Details

Dr John Scott  Inkster MB ChB FFARCS DA

12/08/1924 to 10/09/2011

Place of birth:  Middlesborough, Teeside, England

Nationality: British

CRN: 505488

Education and qualifications

Professional life and career

Postgraduate career

Following graduation he undertook a House Physician post for six months at New End Hospital, Hampstead, London. During this attachment he was expected to give anaesthetics during the afternoons which initiated his interest in the topic.

In May1947 Dr Inkster received a short service commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the RAMC;  he served as the medical officer to 164 Officer Cadet Training Unit. He then started training as an anaesthetist becoming a Specialist Grade Anaesthetist with promotion to the rank of Captain by March 1949. Between March 1949 and July 1950 he was based at 94 British Military Hospital in Hamburg, Germany. He spent some time in the Territorial Army Service as well.
Following his military service he returned to civilian life, continuing his training in anaesthesia in 1950 intially as a registrar and then as a senior registrar in Newcastle. He undertook an attachment at the Children’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada.

In 1954 he was appointed as 1st assistant to Professor Pask in the Department of Anaesthesia at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle upon Tyne. Then in January 1957 he was appointed to a substantive consultant post at the RVI. Additionally in 1970 he became a senior paediatric consultant anaesthetist at the Children’s Hospital in Newcastle.
He retired from the National Health Service  in 1985.
 

Professional interests and activities

Dr Inkster had extensive interests in paediatric anaesthesia which developed early in his career and especially after his attachment to the Toronto Children’s Hospital. He had particular areas of interest in paediatric ventilation and anaesthesia circuits, and has been described as being a pioneer and innovator of the sub-specialty. He is also credited with the understanding of the importance of using positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) in small children. He lectured on various courses both nationally and internationally. Dr Inkster held several important roles in addition to his clinical responsibilities. He was an examiner for the Royal College of Anaesthetists, Council member of the Association of Anaesthetists 1971-74, President of the North of England Society of Anaesthetists for 1963-64 and President of the Association of Paediatric Anaesthetists 1982-85. He wrote several book chapters and papers. He was awarded a Pask Certificate of Honour by the AAGBI in 1981 for services to paediatric anaesthesia and long service to the Association.

In his BMJ obituary he was described as a short slight man, blessed with great determiniation and a dry sense of humour. He worked closely with the nurses and recognised their vital contribution. Apparently on one occasion whilst on a Territorial Army  attachment in Germany, in conjunction with a cardiothoracic surgical colleague they saved the life of a baby born without a diaphragm in the military hospital by sterilising a piece of the ward sister’s silk slip and sewing it in place.

Other biographical information

His father was a physician and his mother a state registered children’s nurse. He was the middle child with two sisters one of whom was his slightly elder twin.

Dr Inkster married on two occasions; first in 1947 he  married Helena Watt, who unfortunately died aged 54. He later married Lynda Maybee in 1982; she also predeceased him. He was survived by his three daughters all from the first marriage. All three daughters entered health related careers. One of his grandchildren is a consultant anaesthetist.

In retirement he enjoyed photography and gardening and his practical skills were put to use as a handyman at a local hospice.

Dr Inkster passed away aged 87 in 2011. He signed off his autobiographical form with “A happy and exciting career”.

Author and sources

Author:

Dr Innes Simon Chadwick

Sources and comments:

A significant amount of the  information has been compiled from Dr Inkster’s self submitted autobiographical college Boulton Form dated 1988. 
Biographical information accessed online Ancestry.com.
Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (AAGBI) website.
Obituary BMJ 2011;343:d7517.
London Gazette (supplement) 6 June 1947 p2535 accessed online.
Obituary (father) Lancet 1961:1; p1421 details accessed via Ancestry.com
Inkster JS. The T-piece technique in anaesthesia. Br J Anaes 1956; 28: 512-9.
Inkster JS, Pearson DT. Some infant ventilator systems. Br J Anaes 1967; 39: 667-79.
A photograph of Dr Inkster can be accessed in his Obituary