Born at Clifton, near Bristol, into a farming family, Paul Hex Venn always had an ambition to be an engineer, but his Australian mother wanted him to train to be a doctor so he said, “I will, but after I qualify I will be an engineer.” While continuing his postgraduate training in London he met the noted anaesthetist Harry Middleton, who encouraged him to take up anaesthesia, where he discovered a love of anaesthetic techniques.
He had a huge interest in resuscitation and was an early advocate of external cardiac compression. Appointed consultant at Eastbourne in 1957, he led the 1966 campaign to unify “casualty” (accident and emergency) services at one hospital in the town to improve medical cover. He instituted Eastbourne’s intensive therapy unit in 1967 and supervised it for the first 10 years. He had an innovative interest in the mechanics of anaesthesia, leading to a consultancy with Down Bros, later Smiths and Eschmann. He developed a portable resuscitation kit and oxygen valves, and his Portex Venn gum elastic introducer and his IntraVenn cannula remain in the equipment catalogues.
He was vice chairman, 1978-82, and chairman, 1982-5, of the local medical executive committee and consultant on the Hospital Executive Board, 1985-8.
He was also a hi-tech DIY man. Having looked at summerhouses, he decided that he could do better and proceeded to build a sturdy octagonal one in his garden. He was kept busy in his garden, but mainly on the technical side—designing an automatic irrigation system for his greenhouse and, using an old mower motor, producing a compost sifter/riddle and steam steriliser for his transplants. He was delighted when presented with a practical problem, and if one wasn’t on the horizon he would look for the next one to solve. He also had a great affection for old cars. At one time he had five, including a 1929 Austin 7, a 1959 Mini, and an MG C that he had built out of parts he had collected—for no item of usable equipment was thrown away.
He leaves his third wife, Janice; a son and daughter, John and Betty, from his first marriage; and a son, Peter (now a consultant anaesthetist), from his second.
Former consultant anaesthetist Eastbourne hospitals (b 1923; q St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, 1948; DA, FFARCS), died after a series of strokes on 10 March 2008.