History of Anesthesia at AUB
Prior to 1850, medicine and anesthesia in Lebanon were conspicuous by their absence. The majority of the cities, towns and villages had no regular physicians and the population had to depend for medical advice and help upon unqualified practitioners such as bone-setters, barbers…

One documented evidence exists, however, that around 1849 extraction of a urinary bladder stone was performed without the use of anesthesia…

The first attempt to use inhalational anesthesia in Lebanon occurred in 1865 at the hands of Dr. George Post (1839-1909). Dr. Post administered chloroform to a dog in a village in order to demonstrate the organs of digestion…

In 1866, the Syrian Protestant College (SPC) was founded in Beirut by Dr. Daniel Bliss and in 1920, became known as the American University of Beirut (AUB). In 1867, along with Drs. Cornelius Van Dyck and John Wortabet, Dr. George Post founded the Medical School of the Syrian Protestant College…

In 1873, Dr. Post published his book of surgery, in the Arabic language, (“Almisbah Alwaddah Fi Sinaat Aljarrah“) in which and for the first time, gave evidence of the use of chloroform at the Johanniter Hospital (Prussian Hospital) to reduce a dislocated shoulder of a man…

The first trained anesthetist to arrive to the American University Hospital was a nurse. Miss Alice Osborn arrived in Beirut in 1922…

Dr. Veronica Bakamjian was the first MD, AUB graduate to obtain formal training in anesthesiology in USA (she became Diplomate of the American Board of Anesthesia in 1950). In October 1947, she was appointed as the director of the Anesthesiology Service, then a division of the Department of Surgery. She started the system of rotation of surgical residents in anesthesia and of her first uses of intocostrin was on late King Hussein of Jordan (then 14 years old Prince Hussein)…

In 1954, a 2-year residency training program in anesthesiology was introduced by Dr. Bakamjian. Dr. Adib Abou-Haidar was the first to join this program, followed by Dr. Francois Shemali, Dr. Raja Abdel Karim and then Dr. Musa Muallem. The fourth continued his career as a member of this department, and presently, he is full professor at AUB's Department of Anesthesiology…

The year of 1958 was an important stage in the growth of anesthesiology at AUB. Anesthesiology was separated from the Department of Surgery and became an independent department. Dr. Bernard Brandstater was appointed chairman and professor of the said department, a position he continued to hold until his departure to USA in 1969. With the departure of Dr. Brandstater in 1969, Dr. Musa Muallem became acting chairman 1969-1971…

With the takeover of the department in 1974 by Dr. Anis Baraka, a period of growth and unprecedented excellence started to appear…

Click here for the full story of anesthesia in Lebanon. (pdf format)