OBITUARY

Professor Gaisford Harrison, our previous Head of the Department, passed away on 22 September 2003, after an illustrious anaesthetic career spanning 50 years.

After graduating MB. ChB from UCT in 1948 and a short sojourn in private practice, Gai commenced his anaesthetic career at Groote Schuur Hospital in 1951. He completed his anaesthetic training in the UK in 1955 and returned to his Alma Mater, where he rapidly became the foremost academic anaesthetist in the country.
His early research was devoted to a remarkable longitudinal study into the incidence and causes of anaesthetic related mortality and morbidity. Over a 30-year period he documented a dramatic decrease in anaesthetic related mortality at Groote Schuur Hospital from one in a thousand in 1958 to approx. 1 in 10,000 in 1986. This work for which he was awarded his doctoral thesis in 1966 became a standard reference in the field and established his reputation, and that of the UCT Department of Anaesthesia worldwide.

Internationally, Professor Harrison was best known for his seminal work into malignant hyperthermia.
His interest followed the serendipitous discovery by him of the "hot pig" model for MH. Using this model he and his co-workers elucidated much of the biochemistry and genetic background to this rare, but frequently fatal pharmacogenetic disease. His discovery that the calcium antagonist, Dantrolene could turn off or prevent the condition was a major medical advance. This lifesaving therapy reduced the mortality of attacks from 70-80% to virtually zero.
The original paper describing his observations on the development of malignant hyperthermia in the Landrace swine has become one of the most widely quoted papers in the medical literature and is now a citation classic.

In 1993, UCT conferred the degree of Doctor of Science upon him for his scientific research into the safety of anaesthesia. Gai received many other national and international awards for his work, including honorary Membership of the Australasian and Zimbabwe Associations of Anaesthetists, FFARCS (Hon. Causa), and the MASA Medal in 1991.

Professor Harrison became the second incumbent of the Chair of Anaesthesia when he succeeded Prof Bull as Head of Department in 1981 - a post he held until his retirement in 1987. As Emeritus Professor he continued his involvement in departmental teaching and research until finally hanging up his stethoscope at the end of last year.

Professor Harrison influenced many generations of South African anaesthetists. He had a wonderfully enquiring mind and loved teaching. He also had an ability to turn a mundane anaesthetic into an exciting event.
As an examiner for the College of Medicine, he was feared by many, although UCT candidates came to realise that his bark was often worse than his bite.

Professor Harrison will be fondly remembered by all who knew him for his warmth and compassion as well as for his intellectual achievements. His academic contributions placed the Department of Anaesthesia at the University of Cape Town on the world stage.
He is survived by his wife Mary and three children, one of whom is an Anaesthesiologist.

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08/10/2003