Dr Edgar Henry Seward
Personal Details
Dr Edgar Henry Seward BM BCh FFARCS MA DA DRCOG DM
24/11/1917 to 17/06/1995
Place of birth: Surbiton, Surrey, England
Nationality: British
CRN: 516981
Education and qualifications
| General education | Westminster School 1932-36 (King’s Scholar) Christ Church College, Oxford 1937-38 Medical School, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford 1939-42 |
|---|---|
| Primary medical qualification(s) | BM BCh, University of Oxford, 1942 |
| Initial Fellowship and type | FFARCS by Election |
| Year of Fellowship | 1953 |
| Other qualification(s) | MA, University of Oxford, 1943 DA (RCP&S), 1947 DRCOG, 1948 DM, University of Oxford, 1951 |
Professional life and career
Postgraduate career
After graduation Seward was House Surgeon at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford. In 1943 he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps and was sent to Burma. After injury and illness in 1944, he was transferred to India where he trained as a graded anaesthetist, before returning to active service. With the rank of Captain he was demobilised in May 1947. He returned to Oxford where he undertook a job in obstetrics at the Radcliffe Infirmary. In June 1948 he was appointed as a Research Fellow at the Nuffield Department of Anaesthetics (Radcliffe Infirmary), where he advanced to Senior Registrar in April 1950. Finally in 1951 he was appointed Consultant Anaesthetist to the High Wycombe Group of Hospitals (Oxford Regional Hospital Board), in which post he remained until his retirement in 1980.
Professional interests and activities
Seward was a member of the Council of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland for 1954-57. He published over 20 peer reviewed papers mainly on obstetric analgesia, infant resuscitation and paediatric anaesthesia. Notably he designed a paediatric laryngoscope (Seward laryngoscope blade). He was co-author with Roger Bryce-Smith of the book “Inhalation Analgesia in Childbirth” (1957).
Other biographical information
He married physiotherapist Winifred Mary Woodroffe in 1942 and they had three children. For recreation during his years in medical practice, he enjoyed rifle shooting (winning prizes at Bisley), running, fell walking and reading. In retirement he moved to the New Forest in Hampshire where he died at the age of 77, survived by his family.
Author and sources
Author:
Dr Alistair McKenzie
Sources and comments:
[1] Dr Seward’s self submitted biographical college “Boulton form” dated 1989. [2] Seward CF. Obituary Edgar Henry Seward (with photograph). BMJ 1995; 311: 1297. [3] Medical Registers and Directories.