Peter B. Bennett
Encyclopedia
Peter B. Bennett is the founder and former president and CEO
of the Divers Alert Network
(DAN), a non-profit organization devoted to assisting scuba divers
in need. He is a professor of anesthesiology at Duke University Medical Center, and is currently the Senior Director of the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Environmental Physiology at Duke. Bennett is recognized as a leading authority on the effects of high pressure on human physiology.
Bennett was born in Portsmouth
, Hampshire
, England
. He was employed at the Royal Navy
Physiology Laboratory near Portsmouth for 20 years, beginning in 1953. During this time, he formed and headed the Defence and Civil Institute for Environmental Medicine in Canada
.
, oxygen toxicity
, submarine escape, decompression illness
, ascent rates, and the effects of flying after diving. Bennett first described and coined the name of High pressure nervous syndrome
(HPNS), a diving disorder resulting from too much time breathing a high-pressure mixture of helium
and oxygen
known as heliox
. Bennett was a consultant on the James Cameron
underwater science fiction
film The Abyss
, in which a character experiences HPNS.
Bennett is credited with the invention of trimix breathing gas. In 1981, at Duke University Medical Center, he conducted an experiment called Atlantis III, which involved taking divers to a depth of 2,250 feet, and slowly decompressing them to the surface over a period of 31-plus days, setting a world record for depth in the process. In 45 years, Bennett has published over 200 scientific papers and six books.
From 2004 to 2007, Bennett served as Executive Director of the international Divers Alert Network.
As of 2007, Bennett has been serving as the executive director of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society
.
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of the Divers Alert Network
Divers Alert Network
The Divers Alert Network is a non-profit 501 organization devoted to assisting divers in need. The Research department conducts significant medical research on recreational scuba diving safety...
(DAN), a non-profit organization devoted to assisting scuba divers
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
in need. He is a professor of anesthesiology at Duke University Medical Center, and is currently the Senior Director of the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Environmental Physiology at Duke. Bennett is recognized as a leading authority on the effects of high pressure on human physiology.
Bennett was born in Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He was employed at the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
Physiology Laboratory near Portsmouth for 20 years, beginning in 1953. During this time, he formed and headed the Defence and Civil Institute for Environmental Medicine in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Education
- University of LondonUniversity of London-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, 1951, B.Sc. - University of SouthamptonUniversity of SouthamptonThe University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
, 1964, Ph.D. - University of Southampton, 1984, D.Sc.
Research
As a researcher, Bennett has performed studies of nitrogen narcosisNitrogen narcosis
Narcosis while diving , is a reversible alteration in consciousness that occurs while scuba diving at depth. The Greek word ναρκωσις is derived from narke, "temporary decline or loss of senses and movement, numbness", a term used by Homer and Hippocrates...
, oxygen toxicity
Oxygen toxicity
Oxygen toxicity is a condition resulting from the harmful effects of breathing molecular oxygen at elevated partial pressures. It is also known as oxygen toxicity syndrome, oxygen intoxication, and oxygen poisoning...
, submarine escape, decompression illness
Decompression illness
Decompression Illness describes a collection of symptoms arising from decompression of the body.DCI is caused by two different mechanisms, which result in overlapping sets of symptoms. The two mechanisms are:...
, ascent rates, and the effects of flying after diving. Bennett first described and coined the name of High pressure nervous syndrome
High pressure nervous syndrome
High-pressure nervous syndrome is a neurological and physiological diving disorder that results when a commercial diver or scuba diver descends below about while breathing a helium–oxygen mixture. The effects depend on the rate of descent and the depth...
(HPNS), a diving disorder resulting from too much time breathing a high-pressure mixture of helium
Helium
Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
and oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
known as heliox
Heliox
Heliox is a breathing gas composed of a mixture of helium and oxygen .Heliox has been used medically since the 1930s, and although the medical community adopted it initially to alleviate symptoms of upper airway obstruction, its range of medical uses has since expanded greatly, mostly because of...
. Bennett was a consultant on the James Cameron
James Cameron
James Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
underwater science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film The Abyss
The Abyss
The Abyss is a 1989 science fiction film written and directed by James Cameron. It stars Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn. The original musical score was composed by Alan Silvestri...
, in which a character experiences HPNS.
Bennett is credited with the invention of trimix breathing gas. In 1981, at Duke University Medical Center, he conducted an experiment called Atlantis III, which involved taking divers to a depth of 2,250 feet, and slowly decompressing them to the surface over a period of 31-plus days, setting a world record for depth in the process. In 45 years, Bennett has published over 200 scientific papers and six books.
Retirement
Dr. Bennett received the 2002 Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) Reaching Out Award for his contribution to the diving industry, and the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2002 award for contributions to business in the life sciences. He stepped down as President of the Divers Alert Network of America on June 30, 2003, after 23 years at the helm. Bennett was pressured by board members to step down, in reaction to alleged improprieties in his handling of the organization's finances.From 2004 to 2007, Bennett served as Executive Director of the international Divers Alert Network.
As of 2007, Bennett has been serving as the executive director of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society
Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society
The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society is the primary source of information for diving and hyperbaric medicine physiology worldwide.-History:The Undersea Medical Society grew from the close associations of a small group of scientists...
.
External links
- Background at Duke University Medical Center
- PB Bennett UHMSUndersea and Hyperbaric Medical SocietyThe Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society is the primary source of information for diving and hyperbaric medicine physiology worldwide.-History:The Undersea Medical Society grew from the close associations of a small group of scientists...
and DANDivers Alert NetworkThe Divers Alert Network is a non-profit 501 organization devoted to assisting divers in need. The Research department conducts significant medical research on recreational scuba diving safety...
Publications