The second edition of this text catches the specialty of anesthesia at what will probably prove to be the apex of its influence and recognition amongst the specialties of medicine. The scientific basis of the specialty is becoming increasingly well delineated. Anesthesiologists have established themselves in local, regional, and national forums as spokespersons not only for the specialty, but also for medicine in general. And the specialty at last may be emerging from the stereotype of a faceless, inarticulate, shy and retiring figure, whose outstanding characteristic was the cloying odor of...