title: A History of Intravenous Anesthesia in War (1656-1988).
abstract: The practice of anesthesia in war places significant restraints on the choice of anesthetic technique used; these include, but are not limited to, safety, simplicity, and portability. Ever since intravenous anesthesia became a practical alternative, there have been military doctors who felt that this technique was particularly suited to this environment. The challenge, as in civilian practice, has been to find the appropriate drugs as well as simple and safe delivery systems. The urgency of war has always stimulated innovation in medicine to counteract the ongoing development of weapons of war and their effects on the human body and to achieve improved survival as public expectations rise. This article traces the development of and the use of intravenous anesthesia by military physicians for battle casualties. The story starts long before the era of modern anesthesia, and the discussion concludes in the dog days of the cold war. The rapidly increasing interest in intravenous anesthesia in both civilian and military practice since the early 1990s is left for other authors to examine.
authors.affiliation: Anesthesiology, Denver Health Medical Center, 777 Bannock St, Denver, CO, USA, 80204. Electronic address: Matthew.Roberts@dhha.org.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.affiliation: Anaesthesia and Pain Management, Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit, Queen Alexandra Hospital, Albert House, Cosham, Hampshire, UK, PO63LY.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jagdish
mesh_terms: D000758:Anesthesia; D000771:Anesthesia, Intravenous / Q000266:history*; D000776:Anesthesiology / Q000266:history*; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008887:Military Medicine / Q000266:history*; D008889:Military Personnel; D014481:United States; D047828:World War I; D014947:Wounds and Injuries
keywords: Althesin; Ether; Evipan; Hedonal; Hexobarbital; Intravenous anesthesia; Ketamine; Military anesthesia; Pentothal; Thiopental; World War II