Vital Times 2019 - 105

HISTORY OF ANESTHESIA

Aphorisms:
Baseball, Anesthesia,
and the Priesthood
By Merlin Larson, MD, and Jane Moon, MD

W

hat did two baseball players, an early California
anesthesiologist, and a 17th-century Spanish
priest have in common? Apparently, a constant
striving for success, and a love of aphorisms to
navigate life's challenges.
Baseball players Satchel Paige (1906-1982) and
Yogi Berra (1925-2015) had an uncommon wit that
outlived their careers. Anesthesiologists might find
one Paige quote particularly relevant: "I ain't ever
had a job, I just always played baseball," he said.1 He
did what he loved, and he loved what he did.
Arthur E. Guedel, MD, (1883-1956), pioneer
of anesthesiology, similarly found his work so
rewarding that he would sometimes provide
anesthesia for free. What could be more uplifting
than using one of the most important discoveries of
all time to numb the excruciating pain of surgery?
Today, however, multiple stresses tend to make
our work just a "job." Modern medicine is less
personalized. There is continual production
pressure. Financial concerns can become paramount.
We are also scrutinized for both errors and nonerrors of judgment and technique, and (horror of
horrors) sometimes attorneys get involved. The end
result is a loss of focus on what it means to inherit
this amazing skill and to have the opportunity to
practice it every day.

Satchel Paige, Cleveland Indians pitcher, 1949. Bowman Gum Baseball
Card. Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.

As human beings, both baseball players and
anesthesiologists have slumps. If a major league
baseball player's batting average drops below .200,
he might be demoted to the minor leagues. Hall of
Famer Yogi Berra once described his own coping

Annual Publication 2019 | 105



Vital Times 2019

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