Wondrous Story of Anesthesia

Edmond I Eger II, MD Emeritus Professor, Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care             University of California, San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA, USALawrence J. Saidman, MDEmeritus ProfessorDepartments of AnesthesiaStanford University, Stanford, CA, USA andUniversity of California, San Diego, CA, USARod Westhorpe, OAM, MB, BS, FRCA, FANZCAFormer Honorary Curator, Geoffrey Kaye Museum of Anaesthetic HistoryAustralian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists;Melbourne, Australia

• Part I. The Woven Story of Anesthesia: Eras, Exemplars, and Looking Forward.- 1. History to 1798.- 2. The Half Century Before Ether Day.- 3. 1844-1846:  The Discovery and Demonstration of Anesthesia.- 4. 1846-1860: Following the Discovery of Anesthesia.- 5. 1860-1910: The Specialty of Anesthesia Develops Slowly.- 6. 1910-1950: Anesthesia Before, During, and After Two World Wars.- 7. History Reflected in the Evolving Approaches to Anesthesia for a Patient Undergoing Cholecystectomy.- 8. Major Anesthetic Themes in the 1950s.- 9. Major Anesthetic Themes in the 1960s.- 10. Major Anesthetic Themes in the 1970s.- 11. Major Anesthetic Themes in the 1980s.- 12. Significant Developments in the 1990s.- 13. Major Anesthesia-Related Events in the 2000s and Beyond.- 14. Predicting the Future.- Part II. Individual Stories.- 15. Surgery Before and After the Discovery of Anesthesia.- 16. A History of Women in American Anesthesiology.- 17. Anesthesia, Anesthesiologists, and Modern Medical Ethics.- 18. A History of Drug Addiction in Anesthesia.- 19. The American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Contributions to the Development of Anesthesiology.- 20. The Role of the International Anesthesia Research Society in the History of Anesthesia.- 21. Establishment of Anesthesia Certification and the ABA.- 22. The Evolution of Nurse Anesthesia in the United States.- 23. A History of Veterinary Anesthesia.- 24. The History of Anaesthesia in Australia and New Zealand.- 25. History of Canadian Anesthesia.- 26. The History of Anesthesia in Mexico, the Caribbean Islands and Central America.- 27. A History of Anesthesia in China.- 28. Aspects of the Development of Anesthesia in France.- 29. The Development of Anaesthesiology in German-Speaking Countries.- 30. The Evolution of Anaesthesia in the British Isles.- 31. The History of Anesthesia in Japan.- 32. A History of Nordic Anesthesia.- 33. A History of Anesthesia in South America.- 34. A History of Anaesthesia Journals.- 35. A History of the American Board of Anesthesiology Certifying Examinations.- 36. Development of the Certification Examination by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (1933-2012).- 37. The Development of Education in Anesthesia in the United States.- 38. Evolution of Education in Anesthesia in Europe.- 39. A History of Research in Anesthesia.- 40. Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Modeling in Anesthesia.- 41. A Brief History of the Patient Safety Movement in Anaesthesia.- 42. Where and How Does the Anesthetic Process Help or Hurt Patients Independent of Producing Anesthesia?.- 43. The History of Outcomes Research in Anesthesia.- 44. A History of Pharmacogenomics Related to Anesthesiology.- 45. The Unfolding Story of How General Anesthetics Act.- 46. A History of Inhaled Anesthetics.- 47. A History of Intravenous Anesthesia.- 48. The History of Opioid Use in Anesthetic Delivery.- 49. The Evolution of Premedication.- 50. A History of Neuromuscular Block and Its Antagonism.- 51.The Development of Local Anesthetics.- 52. Anesthesia Machines and Breathing Systems: An Evolutionary Success Story.- 53. The Development of the Copper Kettle with Comments on Vaporizers that Preceded and Followed.- 54. The Development of Techniques for Airway Management.- 55. History of Respiratory Gas Monitoring in Anesthesia.- 56. The Story of Artificial Ventilation.- 57. From Copenhagen to Critical Care.- 58. A History of Intensive Care Medicine.- 59. The Development of Ambulatory and Office-Based Anesthesia.- 60. The Anesthesiologist and Pain – a Historical Memoir.- 61. A History of Cardiac Anesthesiology.- 62. A History of Pain Relief During Childbirth.- 63. A History of Regional Anesthesia.- 64. A History of Neuroanesthesia.- 65. Pediatric Anesthesia.- 66. Some Examples of Industry Contributions to the History of Anesthesia.- 67. The History of the Anesthetist as a Perioperative Physician.

From the reviews:“An amazing, absolutely unique tome…The Wondrous Story of Anesthesia does indeed have biblical connotations, even having an ‘Old’ and a ‘New’ testament.  The former details the history of anaesthesia…from its earliest beginnings, and is written by its three internationally renowned editors…All subspecialties are included…so we have the development of pain management (Carr and Cousins), of neuroanesthesia (Frost), paediatric anesthesia (Gregory), critical care (Takala), and many, many more…an excellent achievement.”  (J.M. Hunter, British Journal of Anaesthesia, June, 2014)    “The book will appeal greatly not only to those who have a major interest in how anaesthesia was discovered and evolved, but as a most comprehensive reference work for anyone involved with or researching anaesthesia. Every teaching hospital, university or medical school library would be incomplete without this volume and every trainee shouldbe made aware of its knowledge value.”  (J.A. Crowhurst, Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, July, 2014)     “Delves into the fascinating discovery, development, and use of various anesthetic agents down through the ages and throughout the world…useful and valuable to librarians, educators, historians, clinicians, and researchers…[The] book is beautifully formatted with colorful textboxes, good quality illustrations, and well-designed charts and tables...The 100 contributors are noted anesthesiologists, nurse anesthetists, clinicians, researchers, and health practitioners from North America, South America, Europe, Scandinavia, Middle East, Australasia and Oceania, and Asia…Unique in its scope and authority.”  (Elizabeth Connor, Doody’s Book Reviews, May, 2014)  “Worth reading by any individual with a background in anesthesia. History of medicine aficionados in particular will truly enjoy this book. It is definitely well writtenand evident that the editors and authors put a great deal of work into this project. They should be proud of their achievement. Every medical library should have a copy of this book as should every anesthesia department.” (Brendan T. Finucane, Canadian Journal of Anesthesia/Journal canadien d'anesthésie, Vol. 61, June, 2014) “A book waited for by all anesthesiologists, ‘The wondrous story of anesthesia’…describes the evolution of anesthesia…[and] is a ‘wondrous’ book for people working in anesthesia-related fields.” (Koh Shingu, Journal of Anesthesia, March, 2014)