• Ashish Gopakumar and V Gopakumar.
• Department of Restorative Dentistry, Liverpool University Dental Hospital, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5PS. ashish_gopakumar@yahoo.co.uk
• SAAD Dig. 2011 Jan 1;27:61-5.

AbstractStanley Lithgow Drummond-Jackson was born in Northumberland and qualified from Edinburgh University Dental School in 1931. Even in the early stages of his practice he devoted his energies to the problem of pain control in dentistry, publishing his first paper in 1935. In the early 20th century most dental anaesthetics were inhalational with nitrous oxide, ether, ethyl chloride and chloroform. The introduction of intravenous hexobarbitone in 1931 led to bold and enthusiastic researchers like Drummond-Jackson to pioneer its use in dental practice. He published his major work on intravenous hexobarbitone in 1952. In 1957, Drummond-Jackson and a group of colleagues formed the now well-known organisation called 'Society for the Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry' or SAAD. SAAD has grown from a group of 40 to over 4000 members worldwide. In 1969, the BMJ published an article condemning Drummond-Jackson's technique of intermittent intravenous methohexitone. At his personal expense, Drummond-Jackson brought a libel action against the BMJ and authors of this paper. There were no winners as the case was settled after 38 days and earned the reputation for being the longest and most expensive libel case in the history of the London Courts. Despite this setback the founder of SAAD devoted the last days of his life in research, teaching and abolishing fear and pain in dentistry. He gained international reputation as a teacher in dental anaesthesia and was honoured with fellowships and awards. He died in 1975 at the age of 66. In the early 1900s dental anaesthesia was only inhalational with mainly nitrous oxide on one hand and ether, ethyl chloride and chloroform on the other. Induction was at times stormy and prolonged and recovery was delayed. The synthesis of barbiturates, especially intravenous hexobarbitone (1931), thiopentone (1932) and methohexitone (1959) opened new avenues for dental anaesthesia. Modern anaesthesia owes a lot to early pioneers, many of them being dentists and Drummond-Jackson was among them.

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