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Anesthesiologists
come in many forms as professionals — operating
room anesthesia providers, pain medicine physicians,
intensivists, educators and many more. Although our
daily tasks may differ, many of us are increasingly
challenged to do more, better, faster and cheaper.
Given the demands of our busy practices, we may or
may not have the opportunity in some cases to contemplate
the very reasons we entered medicine in the first
place. As most of you know, the September issue of
the ASA NEWSLETTER is traditionally compiled
by representatives of the Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology
(WLM). This year’s issue addresses just such
a topic: professionalism in anesthesiology. In it,
articles discuss the origins of professionalism, professionalism
in anesthesiology today and distinguishing characteristics
of anesthesiologists as professionals even outside
the bounds of anesthesiology.
Some of our colleagues have chosen less traditional
paths, as detailed in a piece this issue titled “ASA’s
World-Class Professionals,” by George S. Bause,
M.D. Dr. Bause is a prime example of an individual
displaying professionalism “off the beaten path”
and of the highest order. Honorary Curator of the
WLM and world-renowned expert in the acquisition and
display of artifacts related to the history of anesthesiology,
his 16-year experience at the WLM began in 1987 with
an invitation to consult on the national collection
of anesthesia apparatus. Dr. Bause was shocked to
find that, following the death of WLM founder Paul
M. Wood, M.D., the entire WLM gallery had been dismantled
to make way for desks for ASA administrative personnel.
There was not a single Copper Kettle or Draeger piece
in the entire collection. Astonishingly, the priceless,
original Cotton-Boothby Apparatus, the earliest to
attempt to measure gas flow, had been flipped upside
down to serve as a perch for a stack of wooden crates.
Thanks to WLM Librarian Patrick Sim, other priceless
items that had been relegated to the dumpster were
saved.
One of Dr. Bause’s early projects was the acquisition
of a portrait of Sir Humphry Davy by Sir Thomas Lawrence
(also known for painting “Pinkie” of “Blueboy
and Pinkie” fame). Sir Humphry was a distant
uncle of Dr. Bause’s, who had described the
medical properties of nitrous oxide, discovered sodium,
potassium, barium, calcium and magnesium and invented
the first electric light and miner’s lamp. It
may come as no surprise that Dr. Bause recognized
Sir Humphry’s portrait (aided no doubt by the
inscription, “From Lady Davy”) in an antique
shop near New Hope, Pennsylvania. Since a resident’s
salary could hardly support this acquisition, the
family cashed in a life insurance policy to finance
the purchase. Two Davy portraits were originally painted
by Lawrence: the three-fourth’s life-size is
currently on display at the Royal Society in London,
and the one-fourth life-size painting is on display
at the WLM, courtesy of the Bauses.
It is not easy to imagine Dr. Bause in the dark, smoke-filled
rooms of the underground antique world. Yet he has
successfully “out-gunned” medical antique
dealers worldwide to acquire a Laennec’s prototype
stethoscope [Figure 1] and personally traveled to
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, (by hydroplane)
to obtain the Eric Webb Chloroform Bottle Collection.
The Webb collection is significant for two reasons.
First, it is the largest collection of chloroform
bottles assembled in the New World. Second, it represents
a significant geographical diversification for the
WLM acquisition program since most items in the existing
collection are from New England and the Midwest.
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Figure 1:
Laennec’s prototype stethoscope.
Photo courtesy of the Wood Library-Museum
of Anesthesiology. |
Dr. Bause’s most recent and exciting acquisitions
have been largely through Internet auctions such as
eBay, where he has managed to develop a computer program
which places, or “snipes,” the final possible
bid for medical artifacts. (Thus, rival bidders do
not know in advance of the WLM’s interest, which
would no doubt lend authenticity and thus increase
an object’s value.) Dr. Bause also has formed
a network of supporters (perhaps I should say, cartel)
who help to locate interesting artifacts and who also
may allegedly decline to bid on a particular item
if they know of the WLM’s interest.
One of the most spectacular online acquisitions to
date has been a Charriere’s Apparatus, or early
French version of a Morton’s inhaler [Figure
2]. (You may recall that Charriere was first to use
the “French” calibration for the sizing
of tubes.) The inhaler was successfully purchased
at auction for a fraction of its estimated six-figure
cost. Dr. Bause then flew to Montpelier, France, at
his own expense to inspect this purchase and successfully
navigated French administrative and customs procedures
so that it could legally be taken out of the country.
Since the acquisition had not been included in the
museum’s budget (and rumor has it that the very
frugal president of the WLM became positively apoplectic
at the thought of excessive spending), the Bause family
generously financed the purchase and donated the inhaler
to the WLM. Two of these devices are known to exist
in the world today. One is in a museum in Paris, France;
the other is now on display in the WLM.
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Fig. 2:
Charriere’s apparatus. Photo courtesy
of the Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology. |
Dr. Bause also has performed many other less glamorous
tasks for the WLM. Perhaps least glamorous of all
was initially installing all of the exhibits in the
museum without help and without the benefit of air
conditioning, which had been shut off over a weekend
in July just prior to the dedication of the new building.
He also recently, and again almost single-handedly,
planned and delivered the WLM-East, a permanent exhibit
of anesthesiology artifacts at the ASA Washington
Office. This exhibit addresses the theme of American
medical heroes who were also anesthesiologists and
was designed to appeal to politicians and tourists
visiting the building. Dr. Bause also has authored
a CD-ROM virtual tour called “Explorations of
Anesthesiology Through Time,” scripted this
year’s tour-mate audio tour of the WLM and designed
the WLM exhibits for every ASA Annual Meeting, including
photographic exhibits titled “One Hundred Fifty
Years of Obstetric Anesthesia,” “Pediatric
Anesthesia Artifacts” and “Monitoring
During Anesthesia.”
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Cotton-Boothby apparatus,
one of the earliest devices to attempt to
measure gas flow. Photo courtesy of the
Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology. |
Of course, there are other individuals who have made
extraordinary contributions of time, effort or objects
to the WLM, no doubt an international treasure of
our craft. Yet Dr. Bause’s proficiency with
medical artifacts and his energy, enthusiasm and generosity
have served to preserve the history of anesthesiology
in a way that will benefit our specialty for centuries
to come. We owe a genuine debt of gratitude to this
true and extraordinary professional. (And some of
us wish that we were in those shadowy back rooms with
him!)
Thanks to Evan Bause for his contribution to this
article.
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Lydia A. Conlay, M.D., Ph.D., is Professor and
Chair, Department of Anesthesiology, Baylor
College of Medicine, The Methodist Hospital,
Houston, Texas. |
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