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A Little History of Some Big Peaks - An illustrated talk by George W Rodway

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• published: 18 Apr 2016
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'A Little History of Some Big Peaks: the saga of medical science associated with the struggle for heights' - George W Rodway An illustrated talk by Prof. (Dr) George W Rodway delivered on the '3rd Sujal Mukherjee Memorial Oration' on 19th December, 2015, Rotary Sadan, Kolkata George W. Rodway, PhD, represents a combination of scientific researcher, mountaineer, science writer and speaker. An Associate Clinical Professor george w rodwayat the University of California, Davis (USA), his academic work focuses on the cardiopulmonary response to hypoxia, and it has on occasion presented him with the opportunity to climb mountains with scientific intent. Field investigations carried out with colleagues at the University College London on Cho Oyu in 2005 and Everest in 2007 are good examples of this. Climbing the mountain was one of the objectives of these research trips, but the primary intent was to perform a series of novel, yet practical physiological and medical studies that threw new light on how people adapt, and at times fail to adapt, to extreme terrestrial altitudes. An active mountaineer since the late 1970s, his scientific interest in high altitude began with the seasons he spent working as a medic on high altitude ranger patrols for the US National Park Service on Denali (Mt. McKinley, 6194m) in Alaska. Other than many climbs of Denali, he has decades of mountain experiences throughout Canada, Mexico, Europe, and the contiguous 48 states of the US. He started climbing in the Himalaya in 1987 and has become a regular visitor to the Himalayan countries. Although slowing down a bit due to the passage of the years, his interest in the high Himalaya continues unabated with an ascent of the north ridge of Everest in 2011 and co-leader of the successful Indian-American climb of Nanda Devi East in 2014. His interest in the history of science, especially as it concerns high altitude mountaineering, has given rise to many books and articles, including the soon-to-appear textbook he has edited, Mountain Medicine and Technical Rescue. He is the mountain medicine section editor for the journal Wilderness and Environmental Medicine, and is Co-Director of the USA Diploma of Mountain Medicine. He serves international organizations as well, as an Executive Board member of the International Society for Mountain Medicine and, additionally, as Vice President of the Medical Commission of the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme (UIAA). Last but not least, he is a Life Member of the Himalayan Club, and a member of both the (UK) Alpine Club and American Alpine Club.