A Wide-angle View of Anesthesiology

Emory A. Rovenstine was a man I knew reasonably well. I often think of him for reasons additional to the attributes and contributions listed in your program. In the mid 1930's he accepted what must have been the most formidable position extant, that oforganizing a department of anesthesia in one of the largest hospitals in the world—The Bellevue Hospital. Few would be willing to tackle such a task today even after 40 years of development. The stories Rovy told of those days were beyond imagination, but any of you can share in them by talking with Perry Volpitto, who was Rovy's first instructor, and John Adriani or Stu Cullen, who were among Rovy's earliest residents. In spite of the awesome service obligations, he developed a program in the 1940's that was one of the country's outstanding residencies. I am honored to be asked to speak in his memory.