AN ANESTHESIOLOGICAL LOOK BACK AT THE SUR GEON KEHR,HANS

Prof. Hans Kehr's contributions to the development of operative proced ures for the treatment of gall bladder and bile duct diseases at the e nd of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century are unquestionabl e. An anaesthesiological look back at Kehr demonstrates, that this viv acious surgeon drew his attentions also to the perioperative care of h is patients and to the choice and administration of adequate anaesthes iological procedures. Already in 1896 in his report to the Annual Germ an Surgical Congress he mentioned anaesthesiological aspects. In his m ain book publications (''Technique of gall-stone operations''; 1905 re spectively ''Practice of bileduct surgery''; 1913) there are special c hapters on ''Anaesthesia in gallstone operations resp. Anaesthesia in bile duct surgery''. Some of Kehr's statements, published here, seem t o be accurate even today, for example these from 1913: ''Adequate anae sthesia is nearly more valuable than the best surgical technique and t he most skilful assistance''. ''... it is clear for me, that a good an aesthetist remarkably improves the results of an operation, while a ba d one deteriorates them.''