Eighteen years ago, as the ASA Newsletter editor, I wrote a provocative piece, which to this day is still referenced by physicians worldwide. It appears that many departments and groups over the years have fashioned dress codes in alignment with the message delivered in my “Ventilations” article (issue number 62, September 1998). The article also prompted a record number of members sending in letters tothe editor arguing both sides of the unintentional debate. By the way, to those who inquired back then, the answer is “No, I’m not your mother!”
The article is reprinted for the benefit of the next generation of anesthesiologists in the hope that they may see it differently from those in the “Baby Boomer generation.” Perhaps it may even conjure up those repressed feelings of disdain for having me, once again, intruding on one’s expressive style of dress:
I remember reading the story about an emperor...
