Real lives: Anaesthetist had a natural feeling for medical world

Published on Saturday 5 December 2009 09:41

Top anaesthetist and keen historian Alastair Hugh Bailey Masson has died, aged 84.

Born in January 1925 in Bathgate, West Lothian, Dr Masson was educated at Bathgate Academy before going on to study medicine at Edinburgh University.

Shortly after graduating in 1947, he joined the RAF for his two years of National Service – most of which he spent in Iraq, with a brief period in Pakistan.

During this time, he began administering anaesthetics. He educated himself and acquired experience of hundreds of cases. He became deputy principal medical officer at Air Headquarters in Habbaniya, Iraq, and reached the rank of squadron leader.

After returning home, his first junior anaesthetic post was at Leith Hospital. Although he received some teaching, the workload left him no time to study for the exams to advance in the field.

Disappointed, he spent a year in general practice in Fife, but soon realised it was not for him. However, he met his future wife, Marjorie Paisley-Whyte, during this time, and later married her in 1952.

In the same year, he secured a training post in anaesthetics at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, becoming a consultant four years later. His career spanned an exciting period in the field, with new techniques enabling more advanced surgery, including transplantation and open heart surgery. In 1960, the infirmary's first intensive care unit was opened.

Dr Masson transferred to the general surgical unit at Chalmers Hospital in 1969. The team set such high standards that Chalmers became the preferred unit for Edinburgh doctors and their families.

Dr Masson became honorary secretary of the Scottish Standing Committee of the then Faculty of Anaesthetists (RCS Eng), also of the Scottish Society of Anaesthetists, and later became president.

Outside his work, he was particularly interested in history. He was president of the Old Edinburgh Club, the Scottish Society of the History of Medicine and the British Society of the History of Medicine.

In 1981, he was appointed honorary archivist to the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and wrote two books on the portraits and artefacts in the college's collection and published widely on medicine, history and other topics.

Dr Masson also enjoyed good food, wine, music and literature, golf and travelling.

He is survived by his wife, his four children – Colin, Neil, Anne Maree and Ewan – and eight grandchildren.

Ewan said: "I don't really know how he fitted all his activities in. He was a quiet, retiring man and you would never know he was a person of such accomplishments. The example he set was impressive."

Dr Masson's funeral was held on 20 November.