arch 30, 1842. October 16, 1846. Dare I ask if you know the significance of these dates? Although I never personally administered ether to anyone other than a laboratory rat, these dates are very much a part of me for they are the birthdates of surgical anesthesia and the starting point of the specialty that I chose to pursue and practice. There were many personalities before Crawford W. Long and William T.G. Morton who helped to set the foundation for their monumentous accomplishments. Depending on whether you are a fan of the Boston Red Sox or the Atlanta Braves, you may place a little more significance on one date over the other.

How about March 30, 1933? On this date, the first Doctors Day observance took place in Windsor, Georgia. Eudora Brown Almond, wife of Charles B. Almond, M.D., presented a formal resolution to the Barrow County Medical Society Auxiliary in order to set aside one day each year to honor physicians. The auxiliary adopted the resolution and proclaimed the day “Doctors Day.”

The first Doctors Day was celebrated by mailing cards to physicians and their spouses. Flowers were placed on the graves of deceased physicians. A formal dinner was held. In 1934, the Georgia State Medical Alliance adopted a resolution commemorating the day. Recognition of physicians became more widespread when the Women’s Alliance of the Southern Medical Association adopted the resolution in November 1935. At that time, they began the custom of using a red carnation as a symbol for Doctors Day. In 1958, the United States House of Representatives adopted a resolution commemorating Doctors Day, and in 1990, the House and Senate introduced joint legislation (S.J. Res. 366) that made March 30 a national day of observance. On October 30, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed an executive order (it became public law 101-473) designating March 30 as “National Doctors Day.”

The text of the resolution states:

Whereas society owes a great debt of gratitude to physicians for the contributions of physicians in enlarging the reservoir of scientific knowledge, increasing the number of scientific tools, and expanding the ability of health professionals to use the knowledge and tools effectively in the never-ending fight against disease, and

Whereas society owes a debt of gratitude to physicians for their sympathy and compassion of physicians in ministering to the sick and in alleviating human suffering: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That

March 30, 1991, is designated as “National Doctors Day,” and

the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe the day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

How many of you have participated in a Doctors Day program or activity? How many of you have utilized the Doctors Day materials distributed by the ASA Communications Department? I have never seen any other physician specialty organization make a big fuss about Doctors Day. No reading materials, no stickers, no posters, no teddy bears. Why does ASA, and why should we anesthesiologists recognize and take pride in March 30? For those nonhistorians like me, the answer lies in the resolution adopted in 1933 by the Barrow County Medical Society Auxiliary:

“WHEREAS the Alliance to the Barrow County Medical Society wishes to pay lasting tribute to the Doctors, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Alliance to the Barrow County Medical Society that March 30, the day that famous Georgian Dr. Crawford W. Long first used ether anesthesia in surgery, be adopted as “Doctors Day,” the object to be the well-being and honor of the profession, its observance demanding some act of kindness, gift or tribute in remembrance of the Doctors.”

Thank you, Eudora Brown Almond. Thank you for recognizing the contributions of physicians in general and anesthesiologists in particular. I am embarrassed to say that, until I sat down to write this article, I was unaware of the history and significance of Doctors Day. While March 30 is a day that came and went without a thought for me, as well as many other physicians, I will approach it differently from now on and communicate and educate our physician colleagues, other health care professionals and the public about Doctors Day and the contribution of anesthesiologists to the well-being of our patients.

ASA should make a fuss about Doctors Day, especially during 2005, the year commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Long Island Society of Anesthetists, which in 1945 became the American Society of Anesthesiologists. It takes communication.

Doctors Day is just one of the many opportunities throughout the year that ASA members can use as “hooks” to communicate our messages. The ASA Committee on Communications strives to help members identify and use these opportunities by providing education, support and resources. In order to communicate effectively, we must know the message that we wish to convey and have the skills to deliver that message. Resources are available to assist our members with educating and communicating with various groups, including our patients, the public, our physician colleagues, other health care professionals and our legislators.

These resources include:

• Patient education brochures and videos

• Web-based Anesthesia Fact Sheets/FAQs

• Educational slide shows

• Resources to assist component societies in developing communication plans

• Media spokesperson and communication training programs

• Presentations and exhibits for general usage

• Presentations and exhibits for use at specialty society meetings

• Video news releases on public health issues

• And, of course, the Doctors Day Media Kit (which will be replaced this year by an ASA100 commemorative poster and related materials).

The Committee on Communications also tracks the media and specialty society publications for issues pertaining to anesthesiology or of concern to anesthesiologists. All of our activities are directed by the ASA Strategic Plan objectives, set forth by the Administrative Council in 1993 when it created a Task Force on Communications. This year the committee will revisit the strategic plan and assess whether the objectives are being met and, if not, the best ways to accomplish our goals. As ASA structure has developed, it has never been more important to ensure that many of our educational resources be done in conjunction with the appropriate ASA committee or specialty society. The committee will link to those groups in order to coordinate information, thus providing our members with the best and most up-to-date information available.

This month’s ASA NEWSLETTER features three other articles relating to the Committee on Communications: Media Spokesperson Training Programs (page 7), a personal perspective on the transition from resident member to adjunct member of this committee (page 9) and our presence at specialty society meetings (page 11). I hope that you enjoy reading these articles and that they are informative.

On a final note, I wish you a “Happy Anesthesiologists Day” on March 30, 2005. During the past five years, the themes for Doctors Day have included office-based anesthesiology, pain medicine, pediatric anesthesiology, research in anesthesiology and critical care anesthesiology. Our teddy bears in the posters have dressed to match the theme. This year the overall theme for Doctors Day is our 100th anniversary, and we have decided to allow the bears to hibernate for at least a year. Although this may disappoint some of you, there are plenty of other resources and opportunities to educate others about the vital role that anesthesiologists play in the well-being of patients and the public.

Remember: All that we say and do is communication.

Michael H. Entrup, M.D., is Chair, Department oF Anesthesiology, Lahey Clinic, Burlington, Massachusetts.