Malcolm Keith Sykes was one of the most prominent British anaesthetists of the second half of the 20th century. His career extended from 1950 to 1991, a period of major advances in anaesthesia and critical care, to which he made considerable contributions. Born in Somerset in 1925, Keith Sykes went to Cambridge University to read natural science tripos before studying clinical medicine at University College Hospital (UCH). He began his professional training as house physician at UCH and house surgeon at Norfolk and Norwich. He then undertook national service in Germany, where in addition to his duties as regimental medical officer he also learnt to administer anaesthetics. Later, at a British military hospital in Hamburg he was the sole anaesthetist. On returning to the UK he sat the Diploma of Anaesthesia, starting his formal training in anaesthetics at UCH. During his training he was awarded a Rickman Godlee travelling scholarship, which allowed him to visit centres in the USA for a year, mostly in Boston at the Massachusetts General Hospital under Professor Henry Beecher, to gain experience in research. This confirmed his wishes to pursue an academic career in anaesthesia. He also visited many …