The development of an academic department of anaesthesia over its first ten years at McMaster Medical School in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, is described. The organisation and goals of the department are described within the context of the regional organisation of health care delivery and of the functions of the faculty of health sciences.
The activities of department members in various educational programmes, particularly the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, are described in detail and the roles of the department in research and clinical anaesthesia and related clinical activities are also described. The role of an academic department of anaesthesia within a community of specialist anaesthetists is discussed.
