THE IMPORTANT ROLE of muscle relaxants during the conduct of balanced general anesthesia is well- established. The armamentarium of muscle relaxants has expanded prolifically, since Griffith and Johnson administered curare to an anesthetized patient in 1942. 1 Griffith HR Johnson GE The use of curare in general anesthesia. Anesthesiology. 1942; 3: 414-420 Crossref Google Scholar However, as early as 1954, Beecher and Todd recognized the dangers of including muscle relaxants as part of the administered anesthetic. In their review of the approximately 600,000 patients, the frequency of deaths related to anesthesia when muscle relaxants were omitted was 1:2,100. There was a 6-fold increase in deaths (1:370) when muscle relaxants were administered. 2 Beecher HK Todd DP. A study of the deaths associated with anesthesia and surgery: Based on a study of 599, 548 anesthesias in ten institutions 1948-1952, inclusive. Ann Surg. 1954; 140: 2-35 Crossref PubMed Scopus (403) Google Scholar