Victor Ivanchich (1812-1892) and Josef Weiger (1810-1863): Early cooperation of a urologist and an anesthesiologist

Today the cooperation of the highly developed specialities anesthesiology a nd urology is daily practice in every hospital and does not need further ex planation in medical reports. The history of medicine tells us that the sit uation was different during the pioneer days of surgery in the last century . Although the statement that the patient underwent surgery while under gen eral anesthesia was mostly included in the reports of operations at that ti me. the need for a specially trained doctor to perform anesthesia was hardl y recognized. Most surgeons delegated this task to young colleagues or even to persons who had not been medically trained. The urologic surgeon Victor Ivanchich may have been an exception in including his special anesthesiolo gist Josef Weiger in several of his publications on lithotrity.