Keith Sykes: Born in England 1925. Medical education at Magdalene College, Cambridge 1944-46, and University College Hospital (UCH), London 1946-49. House physician and surgeon posts at UCH and Norfolk and Norwich Hospitals 1949-50, followed by service in the Royal Army Medical Corps, British Army of the Rhine 1950-52. Anaesthetic training at UCH 1952-58, with one-year Fellowship in Anesthesia at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 1954-55. Extensive travel within the USA and Canada funded by a Rickman Godlee Travelling Sponsorship, UCH Medical School. Appointed Lecturer in Anaesthesia and Consultant Anaesthetist at the Postgraduate Medical School and the Hammersmith Hospital, London 1958, Clinical Reader 1967-70 and Professor of Clinical Anaesthesia 1970-80. Nuffield Professor of Anaesthetics, and Fellow, Pembroke College, University of Oxford 1980-91. Honorary Fellow, Pembroke College, Oxford 1996. Consultant adviser in Anaesthetics to the Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health and Social Security 1986-92. Knight Bachelor 1991. Extensive overseas lecture tours to USA, South America, Australasia, South Africa, Far East and Europe, and author of papers and books on respiratory failure, clinical measurement and monitoring, and respiratory problems in intensive care.

John P Bunker: Graduated from Harvard University College and Medical School, and trained in anaesthesia at George Washington School of Medicine and at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. Was on the Anesthesia Faculty from 1960-1989, where he was Chairman of the Department of Anesthesia from 1960-1972. Visiting Professor of Preventive and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School 1973-75. Acting Director, Centre for the Analysis of Health Practices, Harvard School of Public Health 1974-75. Professor of Family, Community and Preventative Medicine, Stanford University School of medicine 1976-88. He was held visiting professorships at Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health, Westminster Hospital Medical School, London and University College London Medical School. He is a recipient of Fellowships from the National Institutes of Health, the Commonwealth Fund, the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation and the Henry J Kaiser Foundation. He is an author and editor of books on anaesthesia, surgery and health policy.