The History of Mayo Clinic's Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine

Welcome

Mayo Clinic’s Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine was officially formed on April 1, 1924. In its first century, the department has played pivotal roles in a variety of important developments that have advanced the specialty of anesthesiology. These include:

  • Dedicated nurses at Mayo Clinic who delivered anesthesia in the 1890s, starting the field of nurse anesthesia.
  • Early trials that led to the use of sodium pentothal.
  • Innovations such as the nation’s first blood bank and postoperative intensive care unit.
  • Creation of the intravenous catheter.
  • Training of “90-day wonders,” physicians trained in anesthesiology during World War II, many of whom became major leaders of the specialty.
  • Co-founding and leadership of specialty organizations such as the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the American Board of Anesthesiology.
This webpage will provide a spectrum of stories, statistics, and other information that will describe the first century of the department’s impact on the evolving specialty of anesthesiology, as well as its remarkable start and stories of the nurse anesthetists who played such as pivotal role in improving the care of surgical patients.

The 2024-2025 Centennial Celebration

April 1, 2024, marked the “official” Centennial anniversary of Mayo Clinic’s Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine. April 1, 1924, is considered the start of the department based on the official designation on April 1, 1924, by the Mayo Clinic Board of Governors of the Section on Regional Anesthesia.  The section was to evolve into the current Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine.  This Centennial Celebration also recognized the 31 years of nurse anesthesia preceding the official recognition of the future department, the contributions of Mayo Clinic nurse anesthetists to the establishment of the field of nurse anesthesia, and the development of the specialty of anesthesiology, respiratory therapy and intensive care units at Mayo Clinic. This webpage is a testament to not only the first 100 years of the department, but for the future as well. You can learn more about the Centennial Project by going to the “2024-2025 Centennial Celebration” section beneath the “Department History” tab.

 

From September 7, 2023, through November 7, 2024, Dr. Mark Warner and the rest of the Centennial Project Team produced and distributed weekly updates that contained very brief descriptions of articles or vignettes that highlighted the department’s development, remarkable personnel across the spectrum of the department (e.g., respiratory therapists, nurse anesthetists, anesthesiologists, scientists, and administrators), and contributions to the specialty’s advances and recognition. These updates can all be viewed on the “2024-2025 Centennial Celebration” page.

Highlighted Sections of this Site

Department Timeline
Archival Collections and Records
Highlighted Department Members
Mayo Clinic Military Anesthesia Statistics
Interviews
Past Mayo Anesthesiology Alumni Newsletters

This webpage was designed in partnership between the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, the W. Bruce Fye Center for the History of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Archives in Rochester, and Mayo Clinic History & Heritage.  

The information, photographs, videos, and attachments that are found on this webpage have been curated together in partnership between the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, the W. Bruce Fye Center for the W. History of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Archives in Rochester, and Mayo Clinic Media Asset Management (MAM). 

Photographs used with permission of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved.