Ivan Whiteside Magill

Biography

• 1888 – Born 23^rd July in Larne and one of 5 children. His father was a prominent figure, as well as a Freemason of Larne.
• 1913 – Graduated from Queens University Belfast with MB BCh. He completed Anaesthesia training, which at the time was administration of a single anaesthetic to a patient. Magil commented that it was ‘inadequate training’.
• 1914-1918 – He served in the Royal Army Medical Corps during World War I.
• 1919 – He worked at the Facial and Jaw Injury Hospital in Kent, where he developed the Magill forceps.
• 1920 – Queens University Belfast rejected Magill’s MD thesis on endotracheal anasethesia, as it considered this unlikely to be of much value.
• 1935 – He was instrumental in establishing the Diploma of Anaesthesia and was a founder member of Faculty of Anaesthesia of the Royal College.
• 1937 – Anaesthetist to Duchess of Gloucester during miscarriage.
• 1939-1945 – Consultant to Amy, Navy and Emergency Medical Service.
• 1945 – Anaesthetist during Princess Margaret’s appendicectomy.
• 1955 -Anaesthetist during Duke of Windsor’s detached retina surgery.

Medical Eponyms

Magill forceps (1920)

Magill endotracheal tube (1928)

Major Publications

• Magill IW. Forceps for intracheal anaesthesia. Br Med J 1920; 2: 670 [Magill forceps]
• Magill I. A Portable Apparatus for Tracheal Insufflation Anaesthesia. Lancet. 1921;197(5096):918
• Magill I. The provision for expiration in endotracheal insufflations anaesthesia. Lancet. 1923; 202(5211): 68–9.
• Magill I. An apparatus for the administration of nitrous oxide, oxygen, and ether. Lancet. 1923; 202(5214): 228. 
• Magill I. An improved laryngoscope for anaesthetists. Lancet. 1926; 207(5349): 500
• Magill IW. Endotracheal Anæsthesia. Proc R Soc Med. 1928 Dec; 22(2): 83–88. [Magill ETT]
• Magill I. Technique in endotracheal anaesthesia. BMJ. 1930;2:817–9. 
• Magill I. Endotracheal anaesthesia. Am J Surg. 1936; 34(3): 450–5.
• Magill I. An appraisal of progress in anaesthetics. Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 1966; 38: 154–65.
• Magill I. The heritages of the past are the privileges of the future. Anaesthesiology. 1967;28(1):202–8
• Magill I. Blind nasal intubation. In: Lest we forget. Anaesthesia. 1975; 30(4): 476–9

References

• Bateman BT, Alston TA. Commonly used eponyms in anesthesia. J Clin Anesth. 2009 Feb;21(1):67-71
• Maltby R. Notable Names in Anaesthesia. The Choir Press; pp 123-125 (2013)
• London Daily Telegraph, Nov 29^th, 1986
• Anaesthesia History Association Letter, Vol.5, No.2,  April, 1987
• McLachlan G. Sir Ivan Magill KCVO, DSc, MB, BCh, BAO, FRCS, FFARCS (Hon), FFARCSI (Hon), DA, (1888-1986) Ulster medical journal, 2008 Sep; 77(3): 146-152
• Yartsev A. The endotracheal tube in detail. Deranged physiology