he 2008 Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology (WLM) Laureate of the History of Anesthesia was elected on Tuesday, October 16, 2007. David J. Wilkinson, M.B., B.S., F.R.C.A., was named the 2008 Laureate just prior to the Lewis H. Wright Memorial Lecture at the ASA Annual Meeting in San Francisco. Investiture will occur at the ASA 2008 Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida.

David J. Wilkinson, M.B., B.S., F.R.C.A.

The Laureate of the History of Anesthesia program, established in 1994, has as its purpose increased recognition of the richness and importance of the history of the specialty by recognizing the work of scholars who have made singular contributions to the field. The honor is awarded every four years by the WLM Laureate Committee to an individual who has a demonstrable record of contributing over the years outstanding, original materials related to the history of our specialty as reflected by articles published in peer-reviewed journals and/or in monographs. The first Laureate, Gwenifer Wilson, M.D., of Sydney, Australia, was honored in 1996. The second Co-Laureates were Norman A. Bergman, M.D, F.R.C.A., and Thomas B. Boulton, M.D., Ch.B., F.R.C.A., in 2000. The third Laureate was Donald Caton, M.D., in 2004.

Dr. Wilkinson has published two books, 17 book chapters, 43 peer-reviewed articles and 19 non-peer-reviewed articles as well as nine posters and three booklets on the history of anesthesia. His book chapter “The History of Trauma Anesthesia,” published in the Textbook of Trauma Anesthesia and Critical Care in 1993, is the definitive treatise to date on the topic. Dr. Wilkinson has arranged a variety of audiovisual projects focusing on the history of anesthesia, including 38 such presentations. In 1991, he won a British Medical Association film award for his “Some Things Never Change” video.

Dr. Wilkinson is well known among anesthesia historians throughout the world, not only through his numerous publications but also as a speaker. As the 2002 Lewis H. Wright Memorial Lecturer, he spoke on “Bart’s Books, the Blues and Beyond: The Story of Christopher Langton Hewer.” Dr. Wilkinson has given more than 200 presentations, including at least six eponymous lectures on the history of anesthesia. He has been the organizer of the history sections at the WFSA World Congresses for the last 16 years.

The Laureate was elected by an international panel of judges who are known historians and active contributors to the history of medicine.

Doris K. Cope, M.D., is Professor and Vice-Chairman of Pain Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.