UF anesthesiologist honored as historian

Author and University of Florida professor emeritus of anesthesiology and of obstetrics and gynecology Donald Caton, M.D., was honored recently by the American Society of Anesthesiologists for his historical scholarship.

Caton, whose 1999 book “What a Blessing She Had Chloroform” traced the development of obstetric pain management, was named the next recipient of the History of Anesthesia Laureate Award at the society’s annual meeting in San Francisco. The international award, given every four years, will be presented to Caton at the society’s 2004 meeting; he is the third person so honored.

Retired from UF after 34 years of service, Caton has published extensively on the history of anesthesia. He recently contributed an article on anesthesia to the Encyclopedia Americana and is currently editing autobiographies of prominent anesthesiologists and developing an article on anesthesia requested for the online Nature Encyclopedia of Life Sciences.