The Resuscitation Greats

In 1972, Rudolf Frey, John Bonica, Francis Foldes, Torsten Gordt, Harold Griffith, Karl Hutschenreuther, Hans Kilian, Jean Lassner, Sir Robert Macintosh, Otto Mayrhofer, K.T. Ritzema van Eck and Helmut Schmidt edited and published the results of a scientific session titled ‘Experienced History of Anaesthesiology’ arranged in honour of the 80th birthday of Hans Kilian [2]. On page 16 of this publication, Rudolf Frey added his name to a scientific family tree showing himself as a direct line ‘descendant’ of Hans Kilian, Henry Beecher, Sir Robert Macintosh and Epstein, as well as of Kern, Lassner and Allgower, the ‘‘sons of a marriage of surgery and anaesthesiology’’. In a personal letter of 1952 to Sir Robert Macintosh, Professor Dr. K.-H. Bauer, Chairman of the German Society of Surgery and Director of the Clinic of Surgery in Heidelberg, wrote, ‘‘I would be particularly delighted if you were kind enough to critically examine the advances in anaesthesia in Heidelberg..., we have many anaesthetists visit us, and the Chairman of my anaesthesia department, Dr. R. Frey, himself frequently visits foreign clinics and institutes. He spent, for instance, 6 months each at a Swiss institute and at the Mayo Clinic in the United States, where he participated in the daily work. He will soon become a Private Docent for anaesthesia and thus the first academic teacher of anaesthesia in Germany’’. In August 1952 Professor Bauer wrote to Sir Robert (translation), ‘‘I must reveal to you quite openly that the speciality of anaesthesia, which here in Germany is still so young, is passing through a crisis. You know yourself that I have worked with all my influence on its development in every respect, not only in the clinic under my direction, but also particularly before the various German surgical congresses. Already years ago I had the opportunity to discuss with you the very steeply rising percentage of severe postoperative atony of stomach and intestines. Furthermore, other complications are much more frequent than we think happen in your country...’’. Professor Bauer wrote to Sir Robert in December 1951: ‘‘As President of the next Surgical Congress at Munich, I have for the first time in the history of the Surgical Society arranged for a session on modern anaesthesia. While I am presiding over the whole congress, Professor Frey will preside over this section. As a chief surgeon he is particularly interested in anaesthesia’’. This exchange of letters between K.-H. Bauer and Sir Robert Macintosh clearly emphasises the most important role played by Rudolf Frey in German anaesthesia at a time when he was still involved in the clinical work of the surgical department in Heidelberg.