e live in an extraordinary time in anesthesiology. Just within the past year, we have celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of our national organization, ASA, and served as the only specialty (to my knowledge) to aid its trainees in distress following Hurricane Katrina. This year, it’s time for celebration again — as the ASA’s Annual Meeting is held in our “Headquarters City,” Chicago!

As many of you know, the feature articles for the September issue of the ASA NEWSLETTER are compiled by individuals from the Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology (WLM). This issue highlights many of the WLM’s “Treasures,” some old, some new, to encourage members to visit the WLM. (Please note that it was tactfully pointed out to me that in doing a “Treasures” issue, it was particularly important to avoid any association between anesthesiologists and pirates. So considered.)

One of the newer “Treasures” of the WLM is the prototype of the Boston Anesthesia System (BAS), one of the first medical devices of any kind to use a microprocessor (page 16). Richard J. Kitz, M.D., Professor and Chairman Emeritus of the Department of Anesthesia, Massachusetts General Hospital of Harvard, has written a marvelous article describing the BAS and the events leading up to its design. Of special interest is the description of early efforts by Emanuel M. Papper, M.D., Ph.D., and Robert D. Dripps, M.D., who testified before Congress, labeling anesthesia as a public health hazard. This extraordinary contribution ultimately influenced the National Institutes of Health to provide funding for anesthesiology research and training and thus played a major role in the development of anesthesiology as we know it today. The BAS has been graciously donated to the WLM and can be viewed in the museum in Park Ridge.

Doris K. Cope, M.D, Kathryn E. McGoldrick, M.D., and Lydia A. Conlay, M.D., Ph.D., assist WLM Librarian Patrick Sim in positioning art. Other members of the WLM’s new Art Committee include Elliott V. Miller, M.D., and Mark E. Schroeder, M.D. (not shown). Photo by Jonathan C. Berman, M.D.

In addition to the “Treasures,” two other items from the WLM seem newsworthy. First, George S. Bause, M.D., Honorary Curator, and Patrick P. Sim, M.L.S., WLM Librarian, describe a recent renovation of the WLM’s Rare Book Room (page 14). Under the careful and deliberate attentions of Charles C. Tandy, M.D., past president and trustee of the WLM and rare book aficionado, ASA has assembled a collection of old and rare medical volumes relating to anesthesiology that are unrivaled throughout the world. (Dr. Tandy also is responsible for the hiring of Librarian Patrick Sim.) Mold is the bane of a book collector’s existence. If conditions are anything short of perfect, molds will seasonally “blossom” and invade neighboring naive volumes. The article by Dr. Bause and Mr. Sim details the renovation that is designed to bring the WLM’s Rare Book Room up to or within industry standards and to protect the priceless collection.

Perhaps the newest “happening” at the WLM is the formation of an Art Committee. The WLM has a number of pieces of art, but most are in storage and not on display. WLM President William D. Hammonds, M.D., has appointed a committee whose first charge is to display these pieces for ASA, with the goal of enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal of the gallery. Future efforts also will address the storing and preservation of the works as well as any potential acquisitions that might seem appropriate.

So please join us in Chicago, and by all means, take the opportunity to visit one of the finest (if not the finest) museums and libraries of anesthesiology in the world. The WLM is located at ASA headquarters, 520 N. Northwest Highway in Park Ridge. (Park Ridge also is the birthplace of Sen. Hillary Clinton). It’s 20 minutes by cab from O’Hare Airport, or 30 minutes by rail (CTA/Metra) from downtown, and is open from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Monday through Friday.

You also can sign up for a social tour during ASA’s Annual Meeting on Sunday afternoon, October 15, or Tuesday morning, October 17. The tour provides bus transportation from the Chicago Marriott Downtown (Rush Street entrance) with transportation back to McCormick Place. An audio guide is available at the WLM, but you may wish to bring this edition of the NEWSLETTER with you to Chicago. For obvious reasons, some portions of its contents may not be available in other venues. For those with a special interest in rare books, Dr. Tandy will serve as docent on Sunday afternoon’s tour. And special thanks to Dr. Bause, WLM Collections Supervisor Judith Robins and WLM Librarian Patrick Sim for all their help in gathering the information for this issue. It was a great job and an absolute pleasure. We sincerely hope that you will enjoy the “Treasures” of the WLM as well.

See ya’ there!

Lydia A. Conlay, M.D., Ph.D., is Professor and Chair, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.