Wood Library-Museum Of Anesthesiology Research Articles

The connection between Dr. Harold Griffith and Richard Gill: new insights into the history of curare use in anesthesia from previously unknown correspondence.

Dr. Harold R. Griffith and Richard C. Gill figure prominently in curare's storied history. In 1938, Gill returned from an Amazon expedition with over 11kg of curare. After scientists at E. R. Squibb & Sons identified a plant source (Chondrodendron tomentosum) and isolated a stable extract of uniform potency (marketed as Intocostrin), Griffith administered it in the operating room in 1942, showing its advantages and safety. In this article, we report correspondence between Griffith and Gill, heretofore not appreciated, after finding a letter from Gill to Griffith affixed to the inside back cover of a book contained in a private library.Following the serendipitous discovery of this previously unknown letter, we interrogated archived correspondence and material associated with Griffith and Gill in the Osler Library History of Medicine (McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada), Arthur E. Guedel Memorial Anesthesia Center (University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA), the Wood Library Museum of Anesthesiology (Schaumburg, IL, USA), the Anaesthesia Heritage Centre (London, UK), and the Wellcome Collection (London, UK). Further, we searched for information on the historical background of curare via Google, Ovid MEDLINE, Adam Matthew Explorer, Project MUSE, and Latin American History databases.We found seven letters. The first is a letter to Gill dated 2 June 1943 (Wood Library) and an earlier draft dated 2 June 1943 (Osler Library). In this letter, Griffith praises Gill's success in procuring curare and informs him of its usefulness in anesthesia. The second letter is a letter from Gill to Griffith dated 10 July 1943 (found affixed to a book that was donated to the Osler Library). In this letter, Gill congratulates Griffith and claims he foresaw curare's use in the operating room and predicts its routine use to produce muscle relaxation during surgery. The third letter is a letter to Griffith dated 17 April 1945 (Osler Library). In this correspondence, Gill disputes Squibb's claim that curare derives solely from C. tomentosum and asks Griffith to retract published statements on this point. The fourth letter is a letter to Gill dated 25 April 1945 (Osler Library), in which Griffith declines to retract and emphasizes that Gill receive credit for making curare available to medicine. The fifth letter is a letter to Griffith dated 24 May 1945 (Osler Library), in which Gill accepts Griffith's retraction decision and indicates negotiations with another drug company. The sixth letter is a letter to Griffith dated 11 July 1945 (Osler Library), in which Gill requests anesthesia morbidity and mortality data and continues to remonstrate against Squibb's claim of curare's botanical source. The seventh and final letter is to Gill and dated 21 July 1945 (Osler Library). In this letter, Griffith indicates the lack of morbidity and mortality information, mentions a new Squibb curare product, and cites data suggesting curare may exert dose-dependent CNS effects.These seven letters between Dr. H. Griffith and R. Gill reveal a professional relationship heretofore not appreciated. We discuss and consider these letters in the context of curare's remarkable history.

Etymology of Anesthesiology and Anesthesia, Redux

Etymology of <i>Anesthesiology</i> and <i>Anesthesia</i>, Redux

Wood's and Guedel's Legacies Return to the Heartland.

Pioneering anesthesiologists Paul Wood, M.D., and Arthur Guedel, M.D., were Hoosiers who migrated from America's Heartland to opposite coasts. Dr. Wood moved east to New York in 1913; Dr. Guedel, west to California in 1928. By 1962, each pioneer had been honored with a namesake anesthesia museum. Fast-forwarding 55 yr, two young anesthesia historians, California's Jane Moon, M.D., and Pennsylvania's Melissa Coleman, M.D., met at the 2017 International Symposium of the History of Anesthesia in Boston. Today, these women are chairs of the Wood Library-Museum's Archives and Museum Committees, respectively. As the newest authors of "Anesthesiology Reflections," Drs. Coleman and Moon leave their coastal states semiannually for board meetings at the Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, returning as legacies of Drs. Wood and Guedel…back to the American Heartland.

The Guthrie Boulder: A Forgotten Monument to Anesthesia in Chicago.

The Guthrie Boulder: A Forgotten Monument to Anesthesia in Chicago.

Coupling Hoses then Coupling Pierrots with Pirouettes: William B. Kilbourne Peddles "Pain Stop" from Auburn, Maine.

George S. Bause, M.D., M.P.H., Honorary Curator and Laureate of the History of Anesthesia, Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, Schaumburg, Illinois, and Clinical Associate Professor, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. UJYC@aol.com.

From Piles of Fortune to Piles of Wood: Bangor's William E. Mann and "Ko-Kane".

George S. Bause, M.D., M.P.H., Honorary Curator and Laureate of the History of Anesthesia, Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, Schaumburg, Illinois, and Clinical Associate Professor, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. UJYC@aol.com.

The Providential Discharge of Civil War Dentist-Anaesthetist Moses S. Eldridge.

George S. Bause, M.D., M.P.H., Honorary Curator and Laureate of the History of Anesthesia, Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, Schaumburg, Illinois, and Clinical Associate Professor, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. UJYC@aol.com.

May Day of 1961 and Self-appendectomy with Novocaine in Antarctica: Leonid Rogozov's 0.5% Solution?

George S. Bause, M.D., M.P.H., Honorary Curator and Laureate of the History of Anesthesia, Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, Schaumburg, Illinois, and Clinical Associate Professor, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. UJYC@aol.com.

Joseph Priestley's Retorts: Spirited Dissent and Gaseous Discoveries.

George S. Bause, M.D., M.P.H., Honorary Curator and Laureate of the History of Anesthesia, Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, Schaumburg, Illinois, and Clinical Associate Professor, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. UJYC@aol.com.

Dr. G. D. Blanchard's 25 Years of "Perfect Success" with Gas and Ether.

George S. Bause, M.D., M.P.H., Honorary Curator and Laureate of the History of Anesthesia, Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, Schaumburg, Illinois, and Clinical Associate Professor, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. UJYC@aol.com.

How Springfield's Dr. W. F. Andrews Dispensed Ether, Gas, and Books.

George S. Bause, M.D., M.P.H., Honorary Curator and Laureate of the History of Anesthesia, Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, Schaumburg, Illinois, and Clinical Associate Professor, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. UJYC@aol.com.

From Baking Up Nitrous Oxide to Making Goals: Rindge Tech's L. A. Brennan.

George S. Bause, M.D., M.P.H., Honorary Curator and Laureate of the History of Anesthesia, Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, Schaumburg, Illinois, and Clinical Associate Professor, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. UJYC@aol.com.

A Chronology for the Identification and Disclosure of Adverse Effects of Succinylcholine

BackgroundNew therapies are created to address specific problems and enjoy popularity as they enter widespread clinical use. Broader use can reveal unknown adverse effects and impact the life cycle significantly. Succinylcholine, a depolarizing neuromuscular blocker, was the product of decades of research surrounding the ancient compound, curare. It was introduced into practice in the 1950s by Burroughs Wellcome and Company (BW Co) and was welcomed due to its rapidly acting muscle relaxation effects. Global clinical use revealed adverse effects, both minor and major, in particular, hyperkalemia and malignant hyperthermia. We investigated when practitioners and the manufacturer became aware of these adverse effects, how information about these side effects was disseminated, and whether the manufacturer met the regulatory requirements of the time, specifically regarding the timely reporting of adverse effects. SourcesPrimary literature search using online and archived documents was conducted at the Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, Schaumburg, IL. We consulted documents submitted by BW Co to federal authorities, through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports, promotional advertisements, package inserts, published articles, and textbooks. ResultsInitial clinical testing in humans in 1952 found no adverse effects on cardiovascular or respiratory systems. Fasciculations and myalgia were early side effects described in case reports in 1952. Large-scale clinical trials in 1953 found abnormally long recovery times among some patients; the discovery of abnormal pseudocholinesterase enzyme activity was not fully demonstrated until the early 1960s. Bradycardia was first reported in 1957 in children, and in 1959 in adults. In 1960, animal studies reported a transient increase in plasma potassium; further experiments in 1969 clearly demonstrated succinylcholine-induced hyperkalemia in burn patients. Malignant hyperthermia was first described in 1966. Similar cases of elevated temperatures and muscle rigidity were described globally but the underlying mechanism was not elucidated until the 1990s. Standard anesthesia textbooks did not report major side effects of succinylcholine until 1960 and included newly documented side effects with each edition. BW Co's packaging contained warnings as early as the 1950s but were later updated in 1962 and beyond to reflect the newly discovered hyperkalemia and malignant hyperthermia. ConclusionParticularly given the regulatory environment of the time, BW Co appropriately reported the adverse effects of succinylcholine after market entry; it updated promotional and packaging material in a timely manner to reflect newly discovered adverse effects. The toxicity, though alarming and put clinicians on alert, did not seem to heavily impact succinylcholine's use, given its various desirable properties. It is still a choice muscle relaxant used today, although there are efforts to develop superior agents to replace succinylcholine.

Correspondence Dated April 17, 1848, from Charles T. Jackson, MD, to John Snow, MD

A previously unpublished four-page letter from Charles T. Jackson, MD, to John Snow, MD, was acquired in December 2016 by the Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, Schaumburg, IL. The letter may be a draft or a copy of the letter which may have been sent to Snow in 1848. Jackson's letter to Snow does not reveal any significant new insight into the controversy over the discovery of etherization. A hitherto unknown meeting of Jackson's former chemistry student, Joseph Peabody, and John Snow, MD, was revealed in the letter.

A Newly Discovered Manuscript of Charles T. Jackson, MD: “History of the Patenting of the Application of Sulphuric Ether for the Production of Insensibility”

In 2016, the Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, Schaumburg, IL, acquired an unpublished 11-page manuscript written by Charles Thomas Jackson, MD, (1805-1880). The undated manuscript, now fully transcribed, provides Jackson's perspective of the first 6 weeks of the ether discovery, from early October 1846 to mid-November 1846. It chronicles Jackson's observations and discussions pertaining to United States Patent No. 4848, granted to him and William Thomas Green Morton, MD, (1819-1868). Jackson's manuscript did not yield new information on the discovery of surgical etherization or the subsequent dispute between him and Morton. The manuscript may, nevertheless, be one of the earliest documents on etherization known to have been written by Jackson.

Sarpedon Carried by Messengers Sleep and Death: from Mortality to Immortality?

a Historical Researcher, 2500 Hudson-Aurora Rd, Hudson, OH, 44236-2324, USA b Clinical Associate Professor, Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 11100 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA c Clinical Associate Professor, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine, 2124 Cornell Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA d Honorary Curator, American Society of Anesthesiologists' Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, 1061 American Lane, Schaumburg, IL, 60173-4973, USA

On Fire: Advertising the Burning Success of the Colton Dental Association

a Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 11100 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA b Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine, 2124 Cornell Rd, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA c American Society of Anesthesiologists, Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, 1061 American Lane, Schaumburg, IL 60173-4973, USA

Philadelphia Dental Rooms' “Gas” Trade Card: Dangling Racial Stereotypes

a Medical Student, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Blvd, Galveston, TX, 77555-0144 b Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, CaseWestern Reserve University School of Medicine, 11100 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA c Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine, 2124 Cornell Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA d Honorary Curator, American Society of Anesthesiologists', Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, 1061 American Ln, Schaumburg, IL, 60173-4973, USA

Gentle Gassing by S.S. Cox, Not S.S. White

a Medical Student, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555-0144, USA b Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 11100 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA c Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine, 2124 Cornell Rd, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA d Honorary Curator, Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, 1061 American Lane, Schaumburg, IL 60173-4973, USA

A Journeying Journal: Pittinger's Inaugural Issue of Anesthesiology

Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 11100 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine, 2124 Cornell Rd, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA Honorary Curator, American Society of Anesthesiologists', Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology, 1061 American Lane, Schaumburg, IL 60173-4973, USA