The Nagin Parbhoo History of Anaesthesia Museum Part 2

This paper outlines how individual collections of books and equipment donated to the University of Cape Town Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine developed into the national asset that the Nagin Parbhoo History of Anaesthesia Museum now represents. From the humble beginnings of collections of donated books and early equipment, the article describes how the museum evolved into its present form. The contributions made by many individuals over the last hundred years to this remarkable display of historical artefacts is described.

A brief history of anaesthesia

According to the definition of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), pain is defined as: "Unpleasant subjective feeling and emotional experience associated with current or potential tissue damage of a particular localisation", which, as such, poses a challenge for epidemiological research to determine its frequency and prevalence. We have all heard the motto that surgery has experienced its unprecedented development on the wings of anaesthesia. This is most certainly the case, since it is precisely the pain that prevents any invasive procedure on the human body, hence the very elimination of pain has opened up the way for the application and development of surgery. For this reason, the skill and now the science of anaesthesia are epochal civilizational achievements, which is why it is worth remembering the attempts and successes of its application. The very beginning of mankind cannot be imagined without the humans facing some sort of pain. As long ago as about 460 to 370 BC, the renowned Greek physician Hippocrates (in Greek:'Ipocrάtes'), who is nowadays considered the founder of modern medicine, stated: "to reduce pain is a divine deed" or, in Latin: Sedare dolorem, opus divinum est! The article presents Morton's discovery of inhalation anesthesia, now as far back as in 1846, its development, introduction of other modes of anaesthesia, local, infiltration and regional, use of neuromuscular blockers and auxiliary procedures, such as endotracheal intubation and fiberoptic bronchoscopy, without which modern anaesthesia is inconceivable today.

The Nagin Parbhoo History of Anaesthesia Museum – Part 1

This paper provides a brief history of the Nagin Parbhoo History of Anaesthesia Museum housed in the University of Cape Town Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine and introduces readers to the contents of the museum. Artifacts are contextualised and demonstrate the vast changes that have taken place in the specialty from the early days of ‘rag and bottle’ anaesthesia in the 1840s to the present. The role of a medical museum in preserving the history of the specialty, encouraging research and in using artifacts to teach physical principles relating to anaesthetic equipment is discussed. A follow-up paper will document the history of the museum.

The Nagin Parbhoo History of Anaesthesia Museum – Part 1

This paper provides a brief history of the Nagin Parbhoo History of Anaesthesia Museum housed in the University of Cape Town Department of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine and introduces readers to the contents of the museum. Artifacts are contextualised and demonstrate the vast changes that have taken place in the specialty from the early days of ‘rag and bottle’ anaesthesia in the 1840s to the present. The role of a medical museum in preserving the history of the specialty, encouraging research and in using artifacts to teach physical principles relating to anaesthetic equipment is discussed. A follow-up paper will document the history of the museum.

Bibliography of Australian and New Zealand contributions to the Proceedings of the first nine International Symposia on the History of Anaesthesia (ISHA)

This bibliography records the 88 papers published by Australian and New Zealand authors in the Proceedings of the first nine International Symposia on the History of Anaesthesia (ISHA). Each ISHA has produced a published Proceedings of each symposium and these form an extremely valuable medical history research resource of over 850 papers. These have been published by a variety of anaesthesia societies, medical publishers and other bodies from around the world. Nearly all of these Proceedings had one small print run and most are now out of print and often unavailable. There is a definite need for all ISHA Proceedings to date to be available at one online site for ease of access for future historians studying the history of anaesthesia, intensive care, pain medicine, resuscitation and related fields. Scanning of early Proceedings with appropriate publisher, author and editorial approval would facilitate this.