Using digital media to keep anesthesia history alive

Multimedia applications have been developed to explain many aspects of anesthesiology, including anesthesia machines, cardiopulmonary bypass systems, airway management, anesthetic pharmacology, regional anesthesia, and more recently, the history of the specialty. This article describes how computer-assisted instruction and multimedia have made it possible for an anesthesia department in a teaching hospital to become involved in the preservation, publication, and distribution of historically related anesthesia materials. The production of a digital video disc (DVD) based on the career of Leroy D. Vandam is discussed to illustrate the value of digital media in preserving, rejuvenating, and distributing anesthesia-related historical materials.