The Ether Monument: A Story of Beauty and Controversy. A film by Rafael Ortega (DVD). On October 16, 1846, the first successful public demonstration of ether anesthesia took place in Boston, Massachusetts. As one of the most important achievements in the history of medicine, inhalation anesthesia heralded the end of surgery as agony and revolutionized medical care worldwide. This documentary explains the significance of the monument celebrating this extraordinary event and strives to inspire future generations to preserve this magnificent work of art. Approximate Running Time: 22 minutes.

Careers in Anesthesiology:  The Joy in Volunteering, Volume XI, 2008.

Edited by Donald Caton and Kathryn E. McGoldrick.

CAREERS XI, the final volume in the series, tells the altruistic stories of eight anesthesiologists who gave their time and energy to benefit others and the communities within and outside their professional and personal confines.

Their stories take the reader from Africa to the frozen tundra of northern Canada to Central Asia. One was called to collect and channel medical equipment to needy foreign communities. Another turned to elected office to serve in municipal government. Two raised financial resources to restore a prominent public monument symbolic of anesthesia. Another helped to save a teaching program threatened by a disastrous natural calamity. Lastly, a long-standing family tradition of volunteering shaped a noble, giving spirit to serve in non-profit institutions within, and beyond, the realm of anesthesiology.

In full display here is anesthesiology voluntarism as a noble repayment to society. It is a joy to read these stories of giving, which are an inspiration for young physicians who may choose to do likewise.

ISBN: 1-889595-17-9

Sykes K; Bunker J, Contributing Editor. Anaesthesia and the Practice of Medicine:  Historical Perspectives. London: Royal Society of Medicine Press, 2007.

Written by two anaesthetists, one British and one American, this unique book focuses on the transatlantic story of anaesthesia. The authors have both worked at the two hospitals where the first general anaesthetics for surgery were given in 1846, Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts and University College Hospital, London. Each with more than fifty years’ experience of working in anaesthesia, they combine their knowledge and expertise to offer a fresh outlook on the development of anaesthesia through the ages.  This highly informative and intriguing text details the origins of anaesthesia, outlines the different techniques of anaesthesia and traces its progress with illuminating and enlightening commentaries.