Gwathmey Loving Cup

WLMD ID: akxo

Dr. James T. Gwathmey (1862-1944) was a dynamic and talented physician whose extraordinary career profoundly impacted the profession of anesthesiology. He was among the first American private-practice anesthesiologists and one of the very first to contend that anesthesiology was the practice of medicine. His inventions include an adjustable airway, and a modification of the Yankauer mask. In 1912, he co-invented the Gwathmey-Woolsey Apparatus, the first anesthesia machine made by the influential Foregger Company. The company’s founder was so impressed with Dr. Gwathmey’s acumen, that he named a long line of his machines “Gwathmey Apparatus”.

In 1914, Dr. Gwathmey wrote the first comprehensive American textbook in his field, Anesthesia, which ran to three editions. He was a founding member of the New York Society of Anesthetists, which later became the American Society of Anesthesiologists. He was also a founder, and first President, of the American Association of Anesthetists. In 1922, AAA gave him this loving cup as a tribute for his “advances in the research, practice and literature of anesthesia”. AAA later became the International Anesthesia Research Society.

Catalog Record: Gwathmey Loving Cup

Access Key: akxo
Accession No.: 2012-09-25-1

Title: To James Tayloe Gwathmey, M.D., founder and first president of the American
Association of Anesthetists for advances in the research practice and
literature of anesthesia, 1912-1922.

Corporate Author: International Anesthesia Research Society.

Title: Gwathmey Loving Cup.

Publisher: U.S. America : Wilcox S.P. Co., [1921 or 1922].

Physical Descript: 1 trophy : silver plated[?] ; 29.5 X 19.5 x 12.5 cm.

Subject: Awards and Prizes.
Subject: Gwathmey, James Tayloe, 1862-1944.

Note Type: General
Notes: The date range for the possible year of manufacture is based on the year that
Dr. Gwathmey was awarded this cup, 1922.

Note Type: Citation
Notes: Ball C, Westhorpe R. Gwathmey’s water sight-feed. Anaesth Intensive Care.
1999;27(1):3.

Note Type: Citation
Notes: Cope DK. James Tayloe Gwathmey: seeds of a developing specialty. Anesth Analg 1993;76(3):642-647.

Note Type: Citation
Notes: McMechan FH. More honors richly deserved. Am J Surg. 1922;35(10)(anesth
suppl):121-122.

Note Type: Citation
Notes: Sixty-six years ago in Anesthesia & Analgesia. Anesth Analg. 1989;68(3):332.
https://journals.lww.com/anesthesia-analgesia/Citation/1989/03000/Sixty_Six_Years_Ago_In_Anesthesi
___Analgesia_.27.aspx. accessed January 22, 2015.

Note Type: Physical Description
Notes: A sliver plated trophy cup on a raised base with two handles; Around the top
of the cup is a oak leaf and acorn motif; Engraving on the cup is, “TO [new
line] JAMES TAYLOE GWATHMEY, M.D. [new line] FOUNDER AND FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE [new line] AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ANESTHETISTS [new line] FOR ADVANCES IN THE RESEARCH [new line] PRACTICE AND LITERATURE [new line] OF ANESTHESIA
[new line] 1912-1922.

Note Type: Reproduction
Notes: Photographed by Mr. Steve Donisch.

Note Type: Acquisition
Notes: Donated to the WLM by Dr. Gwathmey.

Note Type: Historical
Notes: In 1922, this silver cup was awarded to Dr. James Tayloe Gwathmey (1862-1944)
one of the first full-time private-practice physician anesthetists in the
United States. The cup is engraved with his name followed by, “Founder and
First President of the American Association of Anesthetists, for Advances in
the Research, Practice and Literature of Anesthesia, 1912-1922.”

Dr. Gwathmey found his calling in anesthesia at the relatively late age of 37
yet his numerous contributions to the profession do not reflect this. In
addition to authoring the first American textbook on anesthesia and more than
113 articles, he produced a number of innovations in anesthesia technique and
apparatus, including the rectal administration of ether and oil, the
Gwathmey-Woolsey Apparatus, and the Gwathmey Mask.

Gwathmey’s anesthesia services were in high demand among wealthy and informed
New Yorkers. He billed patients directly, as opposed to being reimbursed
through the surgeon. He believed that this reinforced his identity and
independent role with his patients and the surgeons he worked with.

Gwathmey was also very active in professional societies, including the
American Medical Association where he advocated for the recognition of
anesthesia as a specialty. He was a member of the Long Island Society of
Anesthetists, which was the seed organization of the American Society of
Anesthesiologists. In 1912, he founded and was the first president of the
American Association of Anesthetists, which was ultimately absorbed by the
International Anesthesia Research Society. Gwathmey participated in
professional association meetings into his 70s.

Note Type: Exhibition
Notes: Selected for the WLM website, and the Schaumburg ASA building display (noted
April 2014).