A couple of my editorials have mentioned that I did not know that I wanted to be an anesthesiologist all of my life. I was certain that I would go to medical school all the way back to when I was a William B. Travis Junior High School “Bobcat,” in Irving, Texas. That decision was not in jeopardy until college, when my interests were broadened by the numerous course offerings in the biological sciences. What had been a limited view of my future was opened up by classes in entomology, limnology, marine sciences, etc. For a brief time, consideration was given to other professions. And though some of this course work broadened my lifelong interest in natural history, my longing to serve mankind continued on its now slightly wavering course, toward medicine.
My first clinical rotation in medical school was pediatrics. On July 1, 1983, my assignment was on the...
