Dr William Norman Rollason
Known as: Norman
09/02/1917 to 1990
Place of birth: Dudley, West Midlands, England
Nationality: British
CRN: 723730
Education and qualifications
|
General education |
Dudley Grammar School 1930-35, winning cups for senior plunge and mile. |
|---|---|
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Primary medical qualification(s) |
MB ChB, University of Birmingham, 1940 |
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Initial Fellowship and type |
FFARCS by Election |
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Year of Fellowship |
1953 |
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Other qualification(s) |
DA (RCP&S), 1945 |
Professional life and career
Postgraduate career
On qualifying in 1940 Rollason was initially casualty officer at Queens Accident Hospital in Birmingham, followed by (1941-42) house and anaesthetic jobs at Guest Hospital, Dudley. From 1942 to 1947 he served in the RAFVR, rising in rank from Fl. Lieut. to Sq. Leader. On demobilisation (1947) he was Senior Registrar in Anaesthetics at the War Memorial Hospital, Scunthorpe where in 1948 he was appointed Consultant Anaesthetist. From 1949 to 1959 he was Consultant Anaesthetist at the Royal Infirmary in Hull. Finally in 1959 he moved to Aberdeen to be Director of Anaesthesia at the Royal Infirmary (ARI), where he remained until his retirement in 1981. Concurrently he was Clinical Senior Lecturer in Anaesthetics for the University of Aberdeen.
Professional interests and activities
Rollason published over 40 papers in peer reviewed journals mainly on hypotensive and dental anaesthesia and the ECG. His 1964 book “Electrocardiography for the Anaesthetist” ran to four editions and was translated into German, Italian and Spanish. At the ARI he oversaw the setting up of the intensive care unit. In 1960 he was Founder President of the North-East Scotland Society of Anaesthetists (NESSA).
He was a member of Council of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland from 1961 to 1965. Through the 1960s and 1970s he made many trips as visiting lecturer in Europe, USA, Malaysia and Africa. The Faculty of Anaesthetists appointed him REA for the Grampian region. He was President of the Scottish Society of Anaesthetists for 1973-74.
Other biographical information
He married Margaret Rowbotham, a dietitian, in 1945 and they had two children. In retirement he enjoyed tennis, golf, gardening and tapestry. He bequeathed funds to NESSA, which they used to facilitate an annual Rollason lecture, beginning in 1993 and attended by his widow.
Author and sources
Author:
Dr Alistair McKenzie
Sources and comments:
[1] Dr Rollason’s self submitted biographical college “Boulton form” dated 1988.
[2] Levack I. 50 years of NESSA. Annals of Scottish Society of Anaesthetists 2011; 56-62. The photograph is courtesy of the Scottish Society of Anaesthetists