The Contribution of Barrie Edwards to the Treatment of Colic in the Horse

When Professor Barrie Edwards passed away on May 16, 2011, our profession lost a giant in this soft spoken and humble man. I have no doubt that many of the great advances that have been made in colic surgery would have failed to reach fruition without the work of Professor Edwards and his colleagues at the University of Liverpool. I write from the perspective of one who could view his accomplishments from a distance, and thereby feel the great impact that they had on the international veterinary community. Professor Edwards will be missed beyond measure.

Surgeons that specialise in equine colic have access to information from many sources, such as bench type research, live animal studies and clinical cases. Clinical case material can prove to be the most valuable, because it allows study of the disease process and the response to treatment in a real world setting. However, this material takes time to develop to that point, and a review of Barrie Edwards’ career makes it abundantly evident that he was able to establish a very active and strong colic caseload wherever he worked. From great success in building confidence in his wonderful skills as a veterinarian and as a surgeon, he and his colleagues were able to develop one of the largest databases for colic surgery in the world. This database has spawned some of the most comprehensive and meaningful publications on the epidemiology of colic, its causes, treatments and complications. Examples are effects of different diseases, types of anastomoses, and adhesions on survival, and risk factors for complications. These studies are all the more credible because they are supported by such a high volume of case material. [...]