Death during operation

Although deaths that take place during the course of an operation are commonly called "Death under the Anaesthetic", they did occur before the advent of anaesthesia and in 1824 Dupuytren listed seven posssible causes. Thirty-three reported cases are mentioned and compared with Dupuytren's list. Air embolism was the commonest cause. The last survey in 1956 suggested that anaesthesia was entirely responsible for about 60 per cent of cases and surgery for 10 per cent.