Dr Michael Denis Nosworthy

Personal details

Dr Michael Denis Nosworthy MA MD FFARCS DA

05/09/1902 to 18/08/1980

Place of birth: Groombridge, Kent

Nationality: British

CRN: 715393

Education and qualifications

General education

Winchester College; Pembroke College, Cambridge; St Thomas’s

Primary medical qualification(s)

MRCS LRCP, 1927

Initial Fellowship and type

FFARCS by Election

Year of Fellowship

1948

Other qualification(s)

BA, Cambridge, 1924 (MA, 1929); MBBCh, Cambridge, 1929 (MD, Thesis: ‘The art of anaesthesia’, 1934); DA(RCP&S), 1935

Professional life and career

Postgraduate career

Sequentially

Professional interests and activities

Nosworthy made notable contributions to anaesthesia before and during WW2. He wrote a very well received textbook and developed a technique with controlled lung ventilation (previously used rarely) for the management of war wounds of the chest, describing his methid in a classic paper at the RSM in 1941. However, he is perhaps best known now for his work on anaesthetic records; he was not the first to make paper records during anaesthesia, but his card based system (BJA 1943; 18: 160 & Curr Res Anes Analg 1945; 24: 221) was comprehensive (and simple) enough to put modern, computer based systems to shame! His work was recognised widely, notably by election to the Fellowship, and the award of the Hewitt (Faculty, 1957), Hickman (RSM, 1959) & John Snow (AAGBI, 1967) medals.

Other biographical information

Surprisingly, no obituary has been traced (an opportunity for someone!) so nothing is known about his family or personal life other than that his father was a retired tea planter.

Author and Sources

Author: Prof Tony Wildsmith

Sources and any other comments: Wylie WD. Citation for the John Snow Memorial Medal. Anaesthesia 1968; 23: 157-8