ABSTRACT
The death rate directly attributable to a general anaesthetic provided in a modern environment by a trained anaesthetist approximates to an impressively small 1 in 250 000. 1 For many hundreds of years before the discovery of what would now be recognised as anaesthesia, mankind has used the analgesic and sedative properties of opium, alcohol, mandrake, henbane and other naturally occurring substances to lessen the pain and horror of surgical procedures. None of these approaches proved acceptably safe, in contrast to the remarkable safety profile of modern anaesthetic practice.
