title: The historical narrative: tales of professionalism?
abstract: The historical narrative is a story told to illustrate a point, however subconsciously. The "giants" of obstetric anesthesia -- Simpson, Snow, Apgar -- and countless other less well-known physicians all contributed to the history of obstetric anesthesia. We remember them by retelling this history to illustrate elements of professionalism and how we as a profession wish to act. The Physician Charter is an excellent first approximation of a workable definition of this quality, which can and does change over time. By using the three principles and 10 professional responsibilities as a template, the past comes alive as a teaching method to each and every obstetric anesthesiologist.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. bacon.douglas@mayo.edu
authors.forename: Douglas R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Bacon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015360:Analgesia, Epidural / Q000266:history; D000767:Anesthesia, Epidural / Q000266:history; D000773:Anesthesia, Obstetrical / Q000266:history*; D000777:Anesthetics / Q000266:history; D001034:Apgar Score; D005260:Female; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000777:Anesthetics