Dr. Seishu Hanaoka (1760-1835): surgeon, pharmacist, and anesthesiologist.

Authors

Drew L. Kotler, B.A., Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Hitoshi Hirose, MD, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Charles J. Yeo, MD, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Scott W. Cowan, MD, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Presentation Date

1-1-2014

Comments

This article was published in The American Surgeon Volume 80, Issue 1, January 2014, Pages e7-e9.

The published version is available at PMID: 24401497. Copyright © Ingenta

Abstract

The notion of decreasing pain in surgery stretches back thousands of years with alcohol noted as one of the first anesthetics. Natural elements including coca and opium have been used by various civilizations in an attempt to mute the searing pain of surgery. By the 16th century, physicians around the world began to experiment with nitrous oxide and ether, providing the groundwork for the future of modern anesthesia. The successful application of general anesthesia in surgery was first documented in 1804 by Dr. Seishu Hanaoka (Fig. 1) in Wakayama, Japan, during a breast lumpectomy. During the case, Dr. Hanaoka served as the surgeon, anesthesiologist, and pharmacist. Although most of his worldwide contemporaries were unaware of his successes, this achievement stands as an emblematic and triumphant landmark in medicine.

Recommended Citation

Kotler, B.A., Drew L.; Hirose, MD, Hitoshi; Yeo, MD, Charles J.; and Cowan, MD, Scott W., "Dr. Seishu Hanaoka (1760-1835): surgeon, pharmacist, and anesthesiologist." (2014). Department of Surgery Gibbon Society Historical Profiles. Paper 21.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/gibbonsocietyprofiles/21