This page contains information about accessing e-books and print books via the ANZCA Library, as well as a linked list of selected books related to the history of anaesthesia.
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Borrowing books
ANZCA library provides access to a large range of print items, specialising in anaesthesia and pain medicine-related titles.
For further information about requesting books, see the Borrowing books page
The American Society of Anesthesiologists : A Century of Challenges and Progress by 
Blessed Days of Anaesthesia by 
Blood, Sweat and Fears: Medical Practitioners and Medical Students of South Australia Who Served in World War 1 by
Blood, Sweat and Fears describes those medical practitioners and medical students connected to South Australia who served in the armed forces, at home or abroad, during what we now know as World War 1. They range from 18-66 years of age and from student to professor. Each is described in a one page biography; there are over 200 biographies. Some were to distinguish themselves in action with high military decorations and some were to distinguish themselves in their later medical careers. The Australian medical colleges in medicine, surgery, women's health, radiology and anaesthesia drew their early leaders from these South Australians.
Blood, Sweat and Fears II : Medical Practitioners of South Australia on Active Service After World War 2 to Vietnam 1945-1975 by
Events during and immediately after World War 2 cemented Australia's continuous role in military support of the Asian region. This book includes biographies of 68 South Australian doctors who served in the military from 1945 to 1975. Each is a medical practitioner with a South Australian connection, be it by birth, domicile, education or medical practice who subsequently served in the Defence Forces within this time period.
Blood, Sweat and Fears III : Medical Practitioners of South Australia Who Served in World War 2 by
Britain declared war on Germany on 3rd September 1939. Australia, as part of the British Empire, also declared war on Germany. Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies famously announced: Fellow Australians, it is my melancholy duty to inform you officially, that in consequence of a persistence by Germany in her in1Jasion of Poland, Great Britain has declared war upon her and that, as a result, Australia is also at war. Consequently, approximately one million Australian men and women committed themselves to military service in the Australian armed forces during WW2. Blood, Sweat and Fears m, completes the trilogy of books of the lives of South Australian doctors who served during WW2. There are 279 one-page biographies in this book that describes the commitment and compassion of the doctors who were willing to set aside their professional lives to serve their country, during this terrible time. Interspersed with the biographies are snippets of direct quotes from diaries and newspapers, which places the reader into the context of Australian people during WW2. This important book completes a trilogy that documents the war service of South Australian doctor's from 1914-1975.--Blurb from back cover.
Careers in Anesthesiology: Autobiographical Memoirs [various volumes/years] by 
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.
A Circuitous History of Anaesthesia and Analgesia in Cairns to 2017 by
From foreword: One afternoon the question arose, "Who gave the first general anaesthetic in Cairns?" It is from this question that this work has arisen. The material presented goes significantly beyond who gave the first anaesthetic, incorporating many contemporary figures and interesting sidelines".
Cocaine, Literature, and Culture, 1876-1930 by
The first significant study of cocaine in the literary and cultural imagination of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this open access book offers an important exploration of the drug's symbolic and metaphorical associations in the decades prior to its criminalization. Examining the paradoxical position of cocaine in this period by looking at its role as an icon of technology, modernity and idealised medical identity, alongside developing notions of habituation and dependence, this book reads texts such as the Sherlock Holmes stories, by Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as work by Arthur Machen, W.C Morrow and Aleister Crowley. The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by The Wellcome Trust.
Dr. Mütter's Marvels by
Thomas Mu tter was an audacious medical innovator who pioneered the use of ether as anaesthesia, the sterilisation of surgical tools and a compassion-based vision for helping the severely deformed, which clashed with the sentiments of the mid-nineteenth century. Brilliant, outspoken and handsome, Mutter was flamboyant in every aspect of his life. He wore pink silk suits to perform surgery, added an umlaut to his surname just because he could and amassed an immense collection of medical oddities that would later form Philadelphia's Mutter Museum.
Ether Day: The Strange Tale of America's Greatest Medical Discovery and the Haunted Men Who Made It by
On Friday, October 16, 1846, only one operation was scheduled at Massachusetts General Hospital.... That day in Boston, the operation was the routine removal of a growth from a man's neck. But one thing would not be routine: instead of using pulleys, hooks, and belts to subdue a patient writhing in pain, this crucial operation would be the first performed under a general anesthetic.
Ether. The Birth of Modern Anesthesia: The Death of Friendships [Curiosities in Medicine] by
This anthology is devoted to the curious side of Medical History. Carl Sagan said: "You have to know the past to understand the present." This collection of 80 short stories, written by experts in the field, inspires curiosity and provides a detailed look at the History of Medicine. It investigates many topics, including ancient Egyptian knowledge, the fundamental importance of toothache and how it birthed Anesthesia, and why and when women were allowed to run marathons. The authors report on the background of rubber gloves, the stethoscope and the intraocular lens. Historically important biographies are included, such as those of Arthur Conan Doyle, Napoleon Bonaparte and Claude Monet. The book is relevant for those interested in Medicine and its curious history.
Fifty Years: The Australian Society of Anaesthetists 1934-1984 by 
From Craft to Specialty: A Medical and Social History of Anesthesia and its Changing Role in Health Care by
From Craft to Specialty is a medical and social history of surgical anesthesia, from long before the advent of modem' clinical anesthesia in 1846 to the present day. It emphasizes the fact that, over the past century and a half, anesthesia has progressed from being a craft based on empirical knowledge, to a discipline in which a scientific approach began to shape its practice, and, finally, in the 1930s,to become a medical specialty that encompassed research and formal education.
Historical Notes on Anaesthesia and Intensive Care by 
The History of Anaesthesia: Proceedings of the Fifth International Symposium on the History of Anesthesia, Santiago, Spain, 19-23 September 2001 by 
John Loeser: The Man Who Reimagined Pain by
This uniquely written title presents both the fascinating biography of Dr. John Loeser, a visionary pioneer in the field of pain medicine, as well as the compelling account of the birth and evolution of pain medicine in the United States and beyond. In this captivating work, readers are taken down the path of an extraordinary man who not only shaped the discipline of pain medicine but also embraced a multitude of passions, leaving an indelible mark on those lucky enough to know him.
Landmark Papers in Anaesthesia by
This resource provides a detailed summary of the most important trials and studies in anaesthesia, ranging from neuroanaesthesia and anaesthesia for transplant, to paediatric and thoracic anaesthesia, allowing the reader to rapidly extract key results. Each chapter is written by a prominent anaesthetist in that particular field, and papers have been selected on a number of criteria, included impact factor, authors' choices, or even because the conclusions reached do not indicate best practice.
Leadership in Anaesthesia: Five Pioneers of the Deadly Quest for Surgical Insensibility by
This history of medicine collection presents the biographies of five pioneering anaesthetists through the lens of leadership.
Starting with William Morton who discovered ether anesthesia in 1846, the book continues with an account of John Snow, who studied both chloroform and cholera, and became the worlds first epidemiologist. Three previously untold complete biographies follow to illustrate the transformation of the crude practice of Anesthesia to the sophisticated medical specialty of Anesthesiology of today. Based on original archival research, the life stories of Arthur Guedel (famous for his â ~dunked dogâ (TM) demonstrations), Virginia Apgar (who developed the APGAR Score), and BjÃ, rn Ibsen (the â ~father of intensive careâ (TM)) are related.
The book closes with â ~A Leadership Reckoningâ (TM)â "the authorâ (TM)s comparative analysis of each pioneerâ (TM)s leadership capacity based on the telling of their historiesâ "and concludes that leadership, just like beauty, can manifest differently in different individuals.
More Notable Names in Anaesthesia by
This follow-on volume to Notable Names in Anaesthesia edited by J. Roger Maltby (2002) includes eponyms used on a daily basis in the practice of anaesthesiology. Some of these in alphabetical order are: Aintree intubation catheter, Heidbrink valve, Luer-lock, PCA, pulse oximeter, Ritchie whistle, Seldinger wire, Sprotte spinal needle, TCI, Vienna score and Yankauer sucker. The origins of these names and short biographies of the men and women are readily available by dipping into the alphabetical arrangement. The book also features numerous eponymous awards and lectures arranged by societies and colleges of anaesthesiology across the globe as well as famous museums and textbooks. There are 72 entries, but some include more than one name, so the total number of biographies is 74, provided by 11 authors; McKenzie himself contributed 62 of the entries. More Notable Names in Anaesthesia should appeal to both medical and veterinary anaesthetists, operating department practitioners, nurses, medical students and anyone passionate about the history of medicine.
Not Just an Anaesthetist: The Remarkable Life of Dr William Russ Pugh MD by 
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.
One Grand Chain : The History of Anaesthesia in Australia 1846-1962 by 
Persistence Pays : The Discovery of Dr William Russ Pugh's Log and Journal of his 1835 Voyage from England to New Holland by
"By locating and publishing the diary of William Russ Pugh, Dr John Paull has made a valuable contribution to the story of Tasmania’s early European immigrants and to our knowledge of a particularly innovative and colourful doctor. As well as providing a transcription of the diary he has added well-researched footnotes to provide context to Pugh’s observations. The work complements Not Just an Anaesthetist, the author’s first book on William Pugh who introduced surgical anaesthesia to Australia in 1847. But it can also be read as a stand-alone example of a surgeon’s shipboard diary on a voyage from England to Hobart in 1835."--Foreword.
Proceedings of the 9th International Symposium on the History of Anesthesia: Boston, MA, October, 2017 by
The 9th International Symposium on the History of Anaesthesia was held in Boston in October of 2017. This international symposium was first held in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, in 1982 and it continues to grow in both breadth and in attendance. Every four years it provides an opportunity for academics, clinicians and amateur enthusiasts to learn about the history of a profession that has changed the course of medicine and indeed mankind.
S.A.A.D : A History of the Society for the Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry by
This book traces the history of SAAD, and by inference that of dental sedation, from the inaugural meeting in 1957 through to 2002.
Safety As We Watch: Anaesthesia in Ireland 1847-1998 by
The first operation under anesthesia in Ireland took place 175 years ago when John MacDonnell, a surgeon at the Richmond Hospital, Dublin amputated the arm of Mary Kane on January 1st 1847. This occurred less than three months after the first public demonstration of the use of ether for painless surgery in Boston. Over the next 150 years, anesthesia was to evolve from an apprentice-based craft to become a highly technical specialty, integral not just in the operating theater but also to a wide range of other medical settings.The book, in the first published history of the specialty in Ireland, describes the personalities, institutions and innovators who led the development of anesthesia in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, from 1847 to the foundation of the College of Anaesthetists of Ireland in 1998.
Tarnished Idol: William T. G. Morton and the Introduction of Surgical Anesthesia - A Chronicle of the Ether Controversy by 
Woman War Doctor : The Life of Mary De Garis by
One of the first generation of the women ‘medicals’ to graduate from Melbourne University, Mary De Garis was a pioneering doctor in the early 20th century. Of an established Mildura family, she practised in the Outback before serving in World War One as a doctor in Serbia.
After the War she settled in Geelong where, beloved by generations of women, she was the city’s first female obstetrician, providing safe childbirth before the advent of antibiotics and blood transfusions. Her life and loves and the struggles she faced as a leader in her field are the subject of this fascinating biography.
Ruth’s book received a commendation at the Victorian Community History Awards 2015 in the category of Centenary of World War One.
For a comprehensive list of titles, see: History of anaesthesia
Proceedings of the 10th International Symposium on the History of Anesthesia : Kobe, June 2022 by 
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