The history of “modern” anesthesia technology - A critical reappraisal

To Teach Doctors to Go Out and Teach Other Doctors: The Aqualumni Tree Revisited

“…8,9 The new forest of academic anesthesia family trees can explore linkages between North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia in an international assessment of anesthesiology, redefining what we know into a shared world heritage. 8,9 There is no doubt that introducing a digitized Aqualumni tree to the next generation of anesthesiologists is invigorating. The contribution of Ortega et al is unique and impressive; however, to fully realize the Aqualumni's contributions, the Waters tree should be updated from its initial seedling version to its present sequoia-sized state.…”

“…Likewise, recent historical research efforts have focused on a shared world heritage of anesthesia history, the idea that it was not 1 or 2 isolated countries that developed our specialty but a significant international collaboration leading to modern clinical and scientific advances. 8,9 The new forest of academic anesthesia family trees can explore linkages between North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia in an international assessment of anesthesiology, redefining what we know into a shared world heritage. 8,9 There is no doubt that introducing a digitized Aqualumni tree to the next generation of anesthesiologists is invigorating.…”

“…8,9 The new forest of academic anesthesia family trees can explore linkages between North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia in an international assessment of anesthesiology, redefining what we know into a shared world heritage. 8,9…”

The introduction of carbon dioxide absorption into anaesthesia

“…The German surgeon, Franz Kuhn, worked with Dräger on a number of prototypes in the early 1900s, but these remained experimental, largely due to concerns about chemical reactions between chloroform and the carbon dioxide absorbers. 5,6 Subsequently Carl Gauss, at the University of Würzburg, created a circle breathing system for acetylene anaesthesia. The machine, made for him by Dräger, used caustic potash for the absorption of carbon dioxide.…”