The original caption may contain language which is historic and which may no longer be considered appropriate. It has been retained in the record in the interest of historical accuracy.
The caption on the reverse of the photograph reads: “The nurse and anaesthetics. Picture shows the nurse anaesthetist assisting in a venepuncture by (with her left hand) obstructing the venous return in the patient’s arm and (with her right hand) controlling the patient’s jaw to ensure that the airway does not become obstructed.”
General anaesthesia is produced by a combination of drugs to induce a state of reversible consciousness. Induction to unconsciousness is usually by intravenous injection of a short-acting anaesthetic agent, with the state being maintained through continuous or intermittent use of intravenous drugs or through the use of inhaled anaesthetic agents. In 1941, debate surrounded the use of nurse anaesthetists following an advertising placed in the Nursing Times by Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, calling for nurses to apply for six months’ training to qualify them to act as anaesthetists at the hospital. Nurse anaesthetists observed in America were praised by one correspondent with The British Medical Journal, but their introduction into hospitals in the United Kingdom was seen as “a retrograde step”. The importance of anaesthesia to the successful outcome of the operation, the patient’s wellbeing, and the work of the surgeon and operating theatre was recognised. Nurses, some asserted, were not expert enough to “administer every type of anaesthetic, take charge of the patient should any incident arise” and were not medically qualified to determine the type and amount of anaesthetic. It was argued that suitable courses should be provided for nurses who may be required to give anaesthetics under medical supervision in emergency situations, but that this would not qualify them as anaesthetists but as assistants or substitutes under supervision. See also MED01/01/1711-1713 and MED01/01/1715-1723. High-resolution copies of this image are available for free for non-commercial use. Please Enquire to place an order.
This is part of the Series: MED01/01 Series of prints; within the Collection: MED01 Topical Press Agency Medical Collection
Source: Historic England Archive
Photographer: Topical Press Agency Limited
Photographer: Harrison, Norman Kingsley
Hospital, Operating Theatre, People At Work, Women's History, Health And Welfare
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