Doctors Day News Release

As the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) reflects on the accomplishments and advances in the medical specialty of anesthesiology during its Centennial year, a special date with dual significance also is celebrated—March 30, or Doctors Day.

Doctors Day marks the date that Crawford W. Long, M.D., of Jefferson, GA, administered the first ether anesthetic for surgery on March 30, 1842. On that day, Dr. Long administered ether anesthesia to James Venable and then operated to remove a tumor from the man’s neck.

In the beginning, Doctors Day, which was first observed in 1933, was celebrated by mailing cards to physicians and their spouses and by placing flowers on the graves of deceased physicians. It has now evolved into a collective celebration that is a national day of observance.

ASA celebrates Doctors Day by encouraging anesthesiologists to talk about how they provide medical care to patients before, during and after surgery and the efforts that have been made over the years to improve patient safety. These efforts include more advanced education and training, new technological breakthroughs in monitoring patients during surgery, better pain-relieving medications, ongoing medical research and development of practice standards.

“Surgical procedures that could not have been done many years ago for patients such as young children, the elderly and people in poor overall physical health are routine today.

This truly is a miracle that would not be possible without safe anesthesia,” ASA President Eugene P. Sinclair, M.D. said.

Providing anesthesia for patients in poor physical health is a delicate task. Among the population identified to be at higher risk for certain medical conditions are adults and children who are seriously overweight. In fact, obesity has become a growing health crisis, which will be explored in this year’s Doctors Day video news release.

The video news release will serve as an educational snapshot of considerations for obese patients undergoing bariatric (weight loss) surgery and explore how the successful outcomes for these patients depend on the vigilance and patient safety efforts of anesthesiologists.

This is just one example of the many types of procedures that can be accomplished much more safely today than in the past because of research and education by anesthesiologists.

On Doctors Day 2005, ASA invites the public to share in its celebration of “A Century of Advancing Patient Safety” and applauds fellow physicians for the work they do all year-round to help patients.