C. Ronald Stephen, MD, FFARCS, received his BSc and MDCM degrees from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Following service in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps and training in anesthesia at McGill University, he became chief of anesthesia at the Neurologic Institute and later at the Children’s Memorial Hospital, both in Montreal.
Between 1950 and 1966, Dr. Stephen was professor and chief of anesthesia at Duke University and Duke Hospital. In 1966, he became professor of anesthesiology at the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical School, Dallas. Washington University School of Medicine named him professor and chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology in 1971, at which time he also was named anesthesiologist-in-chief at Barnes and St. Louis Children’s hospitals. Following his retirement from academic medicine in 1980, he served as chief of anesthesiology at St. Luke’s Hospital, St. Louis, for five years. He was known for his devotion to teaching, pioneering two anesthetics – Halothane and Ketamine – and developing inhalers, valves, and vaporizers for more controlled administration of anesthetics. He served as the secretary of the Anesthesia History Association and completed a review of the history of the Academy of Anesthesiology.
Dr. Stephen authored than 160 scientific papers and two monographs. He was the founding editor of the journal Survey of Anesthesiology.