Philip Raikes Bromage (1920–2013)

Abstract

Phil’s name, more than any other, is intimately associated with epidural anesthesia. A quick search reveals publication of 118 articles and letters on a wide range of research topics such as local anesthetics (bupivacaine, lidocaine, etidocaine, carbonation), physiology and pharmacology of epidural anesthesia, management of pain, neurological complications associated with neuraxial anesthesia and neuraxial opioids. This was in addition to his single authored books and numerous chapters.In the area of obstetric anesthesia Phil helped popularize the lumbar technique for labor analgesia by insisting that it was better than the caudal approach. His textbook, Epidural Analgesia, serves as a source of information on the effect of epidural anesthesia on urinary function, neurological complications and the correct technique for performing epidurals. In the preface to the second edition, he referred to epidural blockade as “a necessary skill for every consultant anesthesiologist, especially if he is engaged in obstetric practice or in the management of chronic pain”. Almost every researcher in regional anesthesia is familiar with the “Bromage score”, a means of evaluating motor block.Phil received numerous honors from societies around the world: Gold Medals from the Obstetric Anaesthetists’ Association and the Canadian Anesthetists’ Society and the Hickman Medal from the Royal College of Medicine. He was an internationally renowned speaker who refused to back away from controversy and was well known for his pithy and erudite comments.I’m certain that readers of IJOA will join me in extending our sympathy to his family. Anesthesia has lost a pioneer whose research and writing will continue to benefit generations to come. Phil’s name, more than any other, is intimately associated with epidural anesthesia. A quick search reveals publication of 118 articles and letters on a wide range of research topics such as local anesthetics (bupivacaine, lidocaine, etidocaine, carbonation), physiology and pharmacology of epidural anesthesia, management of pain, neurological complications associated with neuraxial anesthesia and neuraxial opioids. This was in addition to his single authored books and numerous chapters. In the area of obstetric anesthesia Phil helped popularize the lumbar technique for labor analgesia by insisting that it was better than the caudal approach. His textbook, Epidural Analgesia, serves as a source of information on the effect of epidural anesthesia on urinary function, neurological complications and the correct technique for performing epidurals. In the preface to the second edition, he referred to epidural blockade as “a necessary skill for every consultant anesthesiologist, especially if he is engaged in obstetric practice or in the management of chronic pain”. Almost every researcher in regional anesthesia is familiar with the “Bromage score”, a means of evaluating motor block. Phil received numerous honors from societies around the world: Gold Medals from the Obstetric Anaesthetists’ Association and the Canadian Anesthetists’ Society and the Hickman Medal from the Royal College of Medicine. He was an internationally renowned speaker who refused to back away from controversy and was well known for his pithy and erudite comments. I’m certain that readers of IJOA will join me in extending our sympathy to his family. Anesthesia has lost a pioneer whose research and writing will continue to benefit generations to come.