Douglas De’Ath

Dr Douglas De’Ath (1998)
Bill Conn
Episode: 2299

Occupation: Anaesthetist

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Doctor De’Ath was one of the Northern Districts Hospital staff involved in Marilyn’s operation to have a fibroid removed, who shooed Donald, Alf, Travis and Rebecca out of her room so he could talk to her. He pronounced his name “Dee-Ath” and assured Marilyn it was an old Scots name that had nothing to do with death. He was aware Marilyn had been in hospital before when she’d lost a baby and asked if she’d had a problem with the anaesthetic then. On hearing she’d suffered with nausea, he assured her that she wouldn’t have any problems this time round, and allayed her concerns of waking up during the operation.

Marilyn saw him again in theatre as he gave her an injection to put her to sleep. Marilyn asked if she needed to count backwards from ten, but passed out without doing so. Doctor De’Ath handed the operation over to surgeon Alison Robson, who addressed him as Dennis: He corrected her, noting he was Douglas.