ABSTRACT: After a long day in theatre many of us dream of escaping to a warm climate for a relaxing holiday, but did you know that the anaesthetic machine you have been using all day and the Caribbean have more in common than you may think? This is because the Caribbean’s eastern most island, Barbados, is the birthplace and childhood home of one of the important pioneers of anaesthesia – Henry Edmund Gaskin Boyle (Figure 1). Boyle is responsible for the basic design of the anaesthetic machines we use in veterinary practice today. Like all good designs, it has stood the test of time and, amazingly, has not significantly altered since its invention in 1917 (Watt, 1968).

Author(s)

John Bowden

John is a retired chartered civil and structural engineer with a particular interest in the history of mechanical inventions.

Sally Bowden BSc(Hons) CertEd RVN

Sally qualified as a VN in 1990 and graduated with a top up degree in 2003. She has worked in a variety of roles in practice and education, and is currently working part time as she has a young family. She works for Writtle College of Higher and Further Education and sits on the BVNA Executive Advisory Committee.

Keywords: Features, Pioneering, Anaesthetist

To cite this article: Veterinary Nursing Journal • VOL 30 (11) • November 2015 • pp327-330

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