A life in Veterinary Anaesthesia: Celebrating the career of Emeritus Professor Ronald S. Jones OBE

Posted on: 28 August 2025 in Community

Emeritus Professor Ronald S. Jones, OBE, JP. MVSc, Dr Med Vet, DVSc, DVA, DipACVAA, DipECVAA, CBiol, FSB, FLS, FRSA, FRCA, FRCVS.

Ron was born in a village near Oswestry, the son of Samuel and Gladys Jones, and lived on the family small holding. He attended Oswestry Boys High School and the University of Liverpool Veterinary School, graduating with a degree in Veterinary Science in 1960.

After a locum post at the Oswestry practice of George Wyse & Partners, Ron joined the University of Glasgow Veterinary School as a House Surgeon to Professor Sydney Jennings. After the one year post he joined the Department of Pharmacology working on the phenothiazines in horses.

Ron was then offered the first the first lectureship in Europe dedicated to Veterinary Anaesthesia (created by the cooperation of Professors Wright and Gray) at the University of Liverpool. During the first year of the post, Ron spent most of his time in the Department and in the operating theatres of the local hospitals with Professor Gray and Dr Jackson Rees, a paediatric anaesthetist. At the end of the year, Ron returned to the Veterinary School to establish Veterinary Anaesthesia as a subject. Nationally there were exciting developments taking place: in January 1964, a meeting of six people took place at Bristol which led to the formation of the Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.

In 1975, after 13 years, Ron applied for six-months sabbatical leave to work in the University of Zurich on electromyography and muscle relaxant action in dogs. This was a successful project which led to several publications. On his return to Liverpool Ron completed further muscle relaxant work in dogs utilising techniques which had been developed in humans in Liverpool.

In 1977, Ron joined the veterinary team at Chester Racecourse to cover for holidays. By 1980 there was a retirement, and Ron became a permanent member of the team. One year later, two further colleagues moved on, so Ron became the senior veterinary surgeon. During this time, he became acquainted with the Jockey Club Chief Veterinary Officer Colonel Brian Abraham and was appointed as a casual JCVO. While in this role, Ron, together with Professor Donald Kelly, arranged for the post-mortem of all horses which died on the racetrack and developed techniques for euthanasia using injectable agents.

In 1980 an opportunity for further sabbatical leave at Cornell University occurred, enabling Ron to gain broader clinical experience, particularly in monitoring of vital functions during anaesthesia. During his time at Cornell, Ron visited Dr Wayne McDonell at Guelph and during their conversation the possibility of organising an international congress of Veterinary Anaesthesia came up – culminating in the first congress in Cambridge in 1982. Subsequent conferences have followed at three-year intervals. On Ron’s return, two new muscle relaxant drugs (atracurium and vecuronium) were available for clinical trial in humans and later in animals. As Ron had been using the recording equipment for the dog studies, he joined the group of Professor John Utting and Dr Jennifer Hunter to investigate the drugs in a variety of different pathological states in humans. In addition, clinical and experimental work was conducted in dogs. This work led to a considerable number of publications in refereed journals. Ron was recommended for appointment to the Liverpool Magistrates bench by Professor Utting and subsequently appointed.

Always up for a challenge, in 1988, Ron stood for the RCVS elections and was elected. He went on to become Treasurer and President of the College. At the same time, he was elected Chair of the Veterinary Faculty Board at Liverpool. After a brief time in that role, it became obvious that the Dean would be standing down on health grounds. Ron’s task, as Chair, was to sound out potential candidates for the Deanship. In a turn of event, Vice-Chancellor Graeme Davies, invited Ron himself to become Dean. During his Deanship, Ron focused on strengthening research and continuing excellent clinical activity. He also increased the number of students entering Vet School. At the end of his term, Ron took well-earned sabbatical leave which took him back to Cornell and investigating pulmonary function in anaesthetised horses.

On his return to the UK, Ron was appointed to the Medicines Commission as the only veterinary surgeon on the Advisory Council on the misuse of drugs. In 1998, much to his surprise Ron was awarded the OBE for “services to veterinary medicine” which he received from the Prince of Wales at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace.

Just prior to his impending retirement, Ron visited the University of Valdivia in Chile to deliver undergraduate and CPD courses. Ron retired in September 2002.

However, retirement was not a quiet affair! A second visit to Chile followed, as well as supervising EVCA residency programmes in Vienna, Alfort, Lyons and Nantes. Ron also became Chair of the Farriers Registration Council in 2010, during a period of legislative reform, as well as taking on a range of other appointments over the years.

Ron notes that he could not have become involved in many activities if it had not been for several loyal colleagues, especially those who gained qualifications in veterinary anaesthesia at the University of Liverpool. Ron is pleased to note that at least ten of these thirty graduates hold professorships in the UK and overseas.

If you have career reflections that you would like to share with the veterinary alumni community, please email: ulvaa@liverpool.ac.uk.