Dr. James S. West; Anesthesiologist and Hospital Chief of Staff
Dr. James S. West, 85, former president of the California Society of Anesthesiologists and chief of staff at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital, died April 23 of a rare blood disease and cardiac complications at UCLA Medical Center.
Born in Salt Lake City, West was the great-grandson of Mormon pioneer Brigham Young. After graduating from Temple University Medical School, the physician completed his internship at San Francisco General Hospital, before serving as an Army doctor in Europe during World War II.
He held a residency in anesthesiology at Bellevue Hospital in New York City before coming to the Southland in 1948 and practicing at Methodist Hospital. In 1954, he joined the staff at Daniel Freeman, where he remained for 37 years and become chairman of the anesthesiology department. He was the first anesthesiologist to be appointed chief of staff.
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