Dr Ronald Alwyne Bowen

Personal Details

Dr Ronald Alwyne Bowen FFARCS MRCS LRCP DA 

Known as: 'Ronnie'

10/03/1913 to 16/03/1999

Place of birth: Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales

Nationality: 

CRN: 494171

Education and qualifications

General education

Swansea Grammar School (Together with Dylan Thomas!)
1932-40 St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical School

Primary medical qualification(s)

MRCS LRCP 1940 Conjoint Board
MBBS 1941 St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical School, University of London.

Initial Fellowship and type

FFARCS by Election

Year of Fellowship

1953

Other qualification(s)

DA 1946 Conjoint Board, RCSE/RCP

 

Professional life and career

Postgraduate career

House Surgeon, St Bartholomew’s Hospital 1940.
Senior House Officer Surgery and Orthopaedics, St Bartholomew’s Hospital 1941.
Captain RAMC, 1941-45 serving in Middle East and Eritrea. Specialised in anaesthesia.
Assistant Administrator of Anaesthetics, St Bartholomew’s Hospital 1947.
Visiting Anaesthetist: Papworth Village Settlement, Cambridge; Friern Hospital, Barnet; and St Andrew’s Hospital Dollis Hill 1948-50.
Consultant Anaesthetist, St Andrew’s Hospital, Dollis Hill 1950-68.
Consultant Anaesthetist, St Bartholomew’s Hospital 1950-78.
Sub-Dean, St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical School 1958-62.
Senior Honorary Editor at Royal Society of Medicine 1975-77.

Professional interests and activities

Member of British Medical Association and Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland 1947-99.
Fellow of Royal Society of Medicine 1948-99.
Associate Member of Thoracic Society 1954-8.
Examiner for DA 1975-76.
Performed early neurosurgical anaesthesia and thoracic anaesthesia and some of the first cardio-pulmonary bypass procedures at Barts.
Invented a new laryngoscope (1952), a flexometallic tracheal tube with a high volume low pressure cuff (1954), a motor driven syringe driver (1957) and an introducer for difficult intubations (1967). 

Other biographical information

He married Helen nee Cruickshanks in 1948 and they had three children: a son who pre-deceased him and two daughters, one of whom was a doctor; four grandchildren.
Keen golfer.
Dry sense of humour always there.
Talented amateur photographer.
In retirement he was an able cook, furniture upholsterer and creator of stained glass.
 

Author and sources

Author: 

David Wilkinson

Sources and comments:

Wilkinson DJ. Obituary Ronald Alwyne Bowen British Medical Journal 1999; 2: 1204.
Personal knowledge and information from daughter, Alison.