ABSTRACT

This aphorism has been attributed to the French pathologist and clinician Auguste François Chomel (1788-1858) and has been a laudable aim in medical practice for over 150 years.Yet it implies that harm is part of medical practice and this is especially important to anaesthetists because anaesthesia has no inherent therapeutic value. However, doing nothing can also be harmful. If we accept that anaesthesia is risky we should consider risk management and develop a culture of safety [1,2].