history of the anaesthesia library

The anaesthesia library provides an insight into anaesthesia and its development.

The library originally consisted principally of the collections of Dr K Bryn Thomas, A Charles King and Dr J Alfred Lee. It has expanded over the years and continues to do so through purchases and donations.   The books and pamphlets that can be found in the library collection contain information on a range of subjects relating to the work of anaesthetists.   The library does not include modern journals and pamphlets but concentrates on the history of anaesthesia, pain relief and resuscitation.

The library also includes pamphlets, technical literature and audio-visual material. As part of the Anaesthesia Heritage Centre, the library works with the museum and archive collections.  Literature in the library can often help date new museum acquisitions, or photographs or technical literature from the archives and library can be used to explain the museum displays.

Equally the museum objects can provide examples of ideas discussed in the literature. It is for this reason that both separately and together, the archive, museum and library collections are so important to the history of anaesthesia.