Anesthetists and Intensivists Who Defied the Cold War

The term “Iron Curtain” described the barrier between communist East Europe and the capitalist West from 1945. Next the term “cold war” was introduced for the confrontation between these two sides without open warfare, because of the deterrent of atomic weapons. Restriction in collaboration between those on either side extended to the medical profession, including anesthesia, resuscitation and intensive care. Archives and publications from both sides of the Iron Curtain were perused to reveal the important role of those who defied the Cold War to maintain collaboration between anesthesiologists. From 1956 the British doyen of anesthesia, Sir Robert Macintosh began liaison with personnel in the USSR, which led to reciprocal visits. In this liaison a notable Russian anesthesiologist was Igor Zhorov. Then the WHO Copenhagen Anaesthesiology Centre had an impact. Later liaison from the USA came via Emanuel Papper, followed by Peter Safar. Other notable participants included Vladimir Negovsky from the USSR as well as Hugo Keszler and Jiri Pokorny from Czechoslovakia. These efforts in collaboration helped improvement of standards on both sides of the Iron Curtain.