Anesthetic Uptake and Action. By Edmond I Eger, II, M.D. Philadelphia, Williams & Wilkins, 1974. Pages: 383. Price: $18.47 (used).

Abstract

As I read the introduction to Dr. Edmond Eger’s classic text Anesthetic Uptake and Action, my mind drifted to a recent conversation with a friend. We had been discussing the PBS period drama Downton Abbey, which depicts an aristocratic British household during the early 20th century. One of the show’s main draws is the fascinating relationship between the aristocrats and the servants, a hierarchy that we can scarcely imagine in the modern Western world. The show follows the characters over many years and eventually, with global changes such as World War I, the social order shifts and buckles. As cracks appeared in the walls and plaster fell from the ceiling, my friend remarked on how easy it was to picture the benefits of overturning this society in favor of a new world. “But when old things fall by the wayside,” he asked, “have we also lost something in the process? If so, what’s been lost, and does it matter?”