Essays on the History of Anaesthesia

Abstract

Essays on the History of Anaesthesia, A. Marshall Barr, Thomas B. Boulton, and David S. Wilkinson, eds. London, England: Royal Society of Medicine Press Ltd., 1996, ISBN 1-85315-293-5, 237 pp, $25.00. Essays on the History of Anaesthesia is just that, a collection of essays celebrating the history of anesthesia. Culled and re-edited from presentations made at the British History of Anaesthesia Society from 1986 to 1989, this collection is outstanding. There is a considerable depth and breath of anesthesia history present. Essays cover the beginnings of anesthesia in 1846 until contemporary times, including a fascinating article on the symbols of the Royal Society of Anaesthetists. What is most striking about the collection is the way in which the history of anesthesia in the United Kingdom has been captured. Word portraits of what appear to be obscure figures, at least to an American, fill the volume. Yet, after studying each one, the reader is filled with a new appreciation of the struggle these physicians underwent to assure quality anesthesia for their patients. The book contains references to many interesting collections of papers and journal articles. For scholars of the history of anesthesiology, this book is a treasure. There are many biographies from which a sense of the nature of anesthesia and the conflicts that involved the physician anesthetists can be gleaned. The innumerable collections of personal papers, along with their locations, give historians new and exciting places in which to do research. Quaint terms, such as being "qualified" and "registrar" predominate. The reader needs to be familiar with the British system of medical education to make sense of the essays. Yet, the information on such anesthetic luminaries as Clover, Snow, and Simpson make the little struggle over nomenclature well worth the effort. This volume is mandatory reading for all serious anesthesia historians. Douglas R. Bacon, MD, MA Department of Anesthesiology; State University of New York at Buffalo; Buffalo, NY 14215

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