[The history of endotracheal anesthesia, with special regard to the development of the endotracheal tube].

Endotracheal anaesthesia is today the form of general anaesthesia most often applied. It represents more than 80% of the total in hospitals with different surgical specialties. The technique of endotracheal anaesthesia is already more than 1,000 years old. At the beginning of our century all preconditions had been given for a widespread and safe performance of endotracheal anaesthesia. The most important stages in the development of this form of anaesthesia are as follows: 1869: First endotracheal anaesthesia in human by use of a tracheotomy cannula by Friedrich Trendelenburg. 1880: First orotracheal intubation anaesthesia by William Macewen. 1894: Positive pressure ventilation following morphine intoxication by George Fell and Joseph O'Dwyer. 1895: Description of direct laryngoscopy by Alfred Kirstein. 1901: Franz Kuhn "Die perorale Intubation".