The connection between Dr. Harold Griffith and Richard Gill: new insights into the history of curare use in anesthesia from previously unknown correspondence

AbstractDr. Harold R. Griffith and Richard C. Gill figure prominently in curare ’s storied history. In 1938, Gill returned from an Amazon expedition with over 11 kg of curare. After scientists at E. R. Squibb& Sons identified a plant source (Chondrodendron tomentosum) and isolated a stable extract of uniform potency (marketed as Intocostrin), Griffith administered it in the operating room in 1942, showing its advantages and safety. In this article, we report correspondence between Griffith and Gill, heretofore not appreciated, after finding a letter from Gill to Griffith affixed to the inside back cover of a book contained in a private library.Following the serendipitous discovery of this previously unknown letter, we interrogated archived correspondence and material associated with Griffith and Gill in the Osler Library History of Medicine (McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada), Arthur E. Guedel Memorial Anesthesia Center (University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA), the Wood Library Museum of Anesthesiology (Schaumburg, IL, USA), the Anaesthesia Heritage Centre (London, UK), and the Wellcome Collection (London, UK). Further, we searched for information on the historical background of curare via Google, Ovid MEDLINE, Adam Matthew Explorer, Project MUSE, and Latin American History databases.We found seven letters. The first is a letter to Gill dated 2 June 1943 (Wood Library) and an earlier draft dated 2 June 1943 (Osler Library). In this letter, Griffith prai...
Source: Canadian Journal of Anesthesia - Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research