THE ANESTHESIOLOGIST and the otolaryngologist encounter many mutual problems. They observe many ties and much overlapping in their specialties. To achieve good results, they must understand each other's aims before, during and after every surgical procedure.
They possess something else in common—in institutional life they are frequently relegated to the back seat and assigned the most inexperienced members of the house staff. There is nothing that makes them shudder more than to see a new intern performing tonsillectomy on a patient while someone with a sheepskin in one hand is administering the anesthetic with the other. I am certain that most of my colleagues have discovered, in many an instance, that anesthetizing a patient for tonsillectomy is more difficult and exacting than anesthetizing one for lobectomy or resection of the bowel.
Theoretically, the patient should be admitted the day before operation so that he may become acclimated to the atmosphere