This guide has been designed for anaesthetists interested in history of anaesthesia to locate relevant resources on this topic, including those available through the ANZCA library.
The chatroom is turned into an operating theatre this morning as Virginia Trioli interviews Dr Christine Ball (ANZCA Fellow) about her upcoming book, The Chloroformist.
Christine Ball is an anaesthetist at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, co-manages a Master of Medicine (Perioperative) at Monash University, and is the 2020–2024 Wood Library-Museum Laureate of the History of Anesthesiology. She has been an honorary curator at the Geoffrey Kaye Museum of Anaesthetic History for thirty years and is the author of many works in this field.
The Chloroformist by Until 1846, surgery was performed without anaesthesia: extraordinary operations, carried out on conscious, terrified patients. Surgeons of that era were bold and courageous and saved many lives, but anaesthesia changed everything. With an unconscious patient, the surgeon could take his time. Surgery became slower, more careful and more delicate. And as anaesthesia removed the pain of surgery, the medical world gave more attention to surgical infection, heralding in the use of antiseptics and eventually aseptic surgery.
Oh Excellent Air Bag: Under the Influence of Nitrous Oxide, 1799-1920 by The summer of 1799 saw a new fad take root in a certain circle of British society: the inhalation of nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas. The pioneer of these experiments was a young Humphry Davy, future President of the Royal Society, whose descriptions of being under the influence, as well as those penned by his clique, are among the most remarkable in the history of science.
History of anaesthesia SIG
For more information about this Special Interest Group (SIG), including events, activities and membership, please visit the History of Anaesthesia page on the Anaesthesia Continuing Education website.
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