World Anaesthesia Day is celebrated on October 16, to mark the first successful demonstration of diethyl ether anaesthesia in 1846. The discovery made it possible for patients to obtain the benefits of surgical treatment without pain. Anaesthesia is a state of controlled, temporary loss of sensation or awareness that is induced for medical purposes. During an operation, anaesthesia puts a patient into temporary unconsciousness.
World Anaesthesia Day 2024
The day is celebrated annually by the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA). Around 134 societies representing anaesthesiologists from over 150 countries take part in the celebrations. Special events are held to commemorate World Anaesthesia Day.
- World Anaesthesia Day is observed on the 16th of October, every year
- The day commemorates the first successful demonstration of diethyl ether anaesthesia on 16 October 1846
- Know how surgeries were conducted in a world without anaesthesia, and how it has changed the development of medical care over 150 years
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World Anaesthesia Day History
On this day of 16th October, 173 years ago, W.T.G Morton made the first official successful demonstration of ether as an anaesthetic which heralded the era of the practice of anesthesiology and is celebrated as World Anaesthesia Day. Since 1903, special events are organised to celebrate this remarkable day. It is considered as one of the significant events in the history of medicine and was given in an operating theatre at the Massachusetts General Hospital.
The World Federation Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA), recently launched the Global Anaesthesia Workforce Map, created by surveying anaesthesia providers around the world, highlights the anaesthesia workforce shortage crisis. 70 countries had a total anaesthesia provider density of less than 5 per 100,000 population. Using current population data, more than 136,000 physician anaesthesia providers are needed today to achieve a minimum density of 5 per 100,000 population in all countries.
World Anaesthesia Day Wishes
- We cannot imagine having to go under knives without Anesthesia. Happy World Anesthesia Day!
- Here’s to thanking Anesthesia for letting us get treated without feeling the pain. Happy World Anesthesia Day!
- Here’s to appreciating the work of Anesthesiologists. Happy World Anesthesia Day!
- Anesthetists are responsible for the preoperative care of the patients. Cheers to them and wish them all a very happy World Anesthesia Day!
- Cheers to the doctors who administer anesthesia to the patients and make it a point that the patient does not feel the pain. Happy World Anesthesia Day!
- Surgeries have become so much easier thanks to the practice of administering anesthesia. Happy World Anesthesia Day!
- I think this is the most important part of treatment, to be able to make sure a patient does not feel the pain. Happy World Anesthesia Day!
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World Anaesthesia Day Quotes
- “Anesthesia is quite remarkable. Its lost time. And you wake up kind of refreshed.” –Michael Keaton
- “I’m a big believer in anesthesia. I think it should be used for every medical procedure, including routine physicals.” -Dave Barry
- “It is surely important that the differences between coma, deep sleep, being under anesthesia, on the one hand, and being alert on the other, all involve changes in the brain.” -Patricia Churchland.
- “Anaesthesia is actually quite remarkable. It’s a lost time. And you wake up kind of refreshed and the most important thing which it does that it takes away your painful moments.”
- “Miracles are rare but not a myth. The demonstration of the first successful administration of ether anaesthesia is a one such real and rare miracle.”
- “It is surely important that the differences between coma, deep sleep, being under anaesthesia, on the one hand, and being alert on the other, all involve changes in the brain.”
- “I am a big believer in anaesthesia. I think it should be used for every medical procedure, including routine physicals maybe that’s too far but who knows maybe it will happen one day.”
- “Everyone agrees that animals should not be exposed to unnecessary pain. But neither should scientists be hamstrung by the requirement to use anaesthesia in every animal experiment that might cause pain.”
- “I got this idea about being afraid to let go of something and being afraid of sinking into a state of almost anaesthesia, where you have no choice but to trust other people.”
- “Alcohol is the anaesthesia by which we endure the operation of life. Just like anesthesia makes us feel painless despite all of the sufferings happening, the alcohol does the same to us but in the mental state.”
The evolution of Anaesthesia
It has been over 150 years since anaesthesia was used successfully for the first time, and needless to say, it has come a long way since then. Anaesthesia has changed the world of medical care. Various medical procedures, surgeries, and treatments are only possible because of the different degrees of anaesthesia available now.
Anaesthesia is now not just able to help in the loss of consciousness of the patient but also helps in muscle relaxation, which helps surgeons perform their work more efficiently and quickly.
Administration of anaesthetics has also become easier. Just a simple jab, and the job is done. Surgeons can now also render just a part of the body numb, the one which they have to operate, without making the person lose all consciousness.
People today cannot imagine a world without anaesthetics that have made medical care so easy and convenient. So many treatments would not be possible if a pain-free, convenient way to perform surgery or to make hospital stays easier was not found.
