We look forward to welcoming colleagues old and new to the William Squire Memorial Lecture 2019. This year we are delighted to announce that Professor Kevin Fong OBE will be delivering the lecture titled "13 Minutes to the Moon".

Kevin is a consultant anaesthetist at UCH but also widely known for his work to improve the public understanding of science through newspaper, radio and TV work.

Highlights of Kevin's career include being a presenter on the long running BBC2 science programme Horizon, presenting the 2015 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures looking at "How to Survive in Space", writing the 2014 book, "Extreme Medicine: How Exploration Transformed Medicine in the Twentieth Century" and most recently presenting the BBC World Service podcast 13 Minutes to the Moon. In June 2019 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to medicine and healthcare.

Previous speakers for the William Squire Memorial Lecture have included:

Judith Hulf (London)
Mike James (Cape Town)
Mike Grocott (Southampton)
Rob Sneyd (Plymouth)
Paul Myles (Melbourne)

The lecture will also be combined with The London School of Anaesthesia induction event (organised by Catherine Shaw) and the prize giving for the Vivek Sivaranman Prize. Please note the lecture will begin at 18.30 so please arrive in good time for the start.

This is a good opportunity to welcome all the new trainees and catch up with old friends and colleagues. Drinks and nibbles will be provided following the event.

Access to the lecture theatre:

Enter through the Albany Wing (main hospital entrance) and turn right and stay on the ground floor to access the Wolfson.

About William Squire:

William Squire was born on the 1st December 1825 and begun his studies in medicine with a short apprenticeship to a doctor in Chesham. Whilst at University College London he won many medals and prizes for his work but is best known for administering the ether at famed surgeon, Robert Liston, first major operation in the UK under a general anaesthetic.

On the 21st December 1846 when he was a medical student and assistant to Liston, he administered the ether via the ether inhaler created by his uncle, Peter Squire, to Frederick Churchill. Churchill who was a footman, was to have his right leg remove and was quickly made unconscious by the anaesthetic and stayed this way throughout the whole operation. This meant that the need to be quick to prevent pain and suffering to the patient was no longer required.

The operation was completed in under three minutes, with the patient reportedly asking “When are you going to begin?” once he had come round from his anaesthetic, much to the mirth of the crowd watching. Following the success of this operation this led to advances in surgical practice such as working on the “forbidden areas” of the abdomen, chest and brain.

For William, after graduating in 1849 he worked as a house surgeon at UCH. Whilst visiting Paris he became interested in the taking of temperatures using long stemmed thermometers and on his return to the UK it is said the first ever short stemmed thermometer was created for him. His work in epidemiology is what he eventually became widely known for, publishing Collected Essays on Preventive Medicine in 1887 and contributed articles to Quain’s Dictionary of Medicine. He was also the father of John Edward Squire, known for his work into the prevention and treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis.

William Squire died at the age of 74 on the 8 April 1899.

Registrations are closed

2019 William Squire Memorial Lecture