Abstract
René Goupil, the Patron Saint of Anaesthetists, and a Patron Saint of Canada, was born in Angers, France in 1608 and studied surgery. He joined the Jesuits as a donné or volunteer worker in 1640 and served in the then tiny colony of Quebec as one of the first medical workers of Canada. After earning meritorious praise for his skills, he again volunteered to attend the Hurons at Sainte Marie, a mission far beyond the frontiers. René’s canoe party was ambushed. He was captured by the Mohawks and endured eight weeks of cruel torture before being killed on September 29, 1642. René was the first of eight North American martyrs whose dedication was recognized by canonization in 1930. St. René was appointed Patron Saint of Anaesthetists in 1951. Rod K. Calverley, M.D., F.R.C.P.(C), Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Anaesthesiology, University of California, San Diego. Address reprint requests to: Rod K. Calverley, M.D., Department of Anaesthesia, VA Medical Center, 3360 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, California 92161, U.S.A.
Résumé
René Goupil, patron des anesthésistes et aussi un des patrons du Canada, est né à Angers, France en 1608 et étudia la chirurgie. Il se joint aux Jésuites comme donné ou travailleur bénévole en 1640 et servit dans la petite colonie de Québec comme un des premiers travailleurs de la santé du Canada. Après s’être attiré des louanges bien mérités par sa compétence, il se porta volontaire à Sainte-Marie chez les Hurons qui était à ce moment une mission fort éloignée. A la suite ďune ambuscade René qui faisait partie ďun groupe voyageant en canot fut fait prisonnier et dut subir de cruelles tortures pendant huit semaines avant sa mort qui survint le 29 septembre 1642. René Goupil fut le premier des huits martyrs ďAmérique du Nord dont les mérites furent reconnus par la canonisation en 1930. Saint René devint le patron des anesthésistes en 1951.
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Calverley, R.K. St. René: the patron saint of anaesthetists and a patron saint of canada. Canad. Anaesth. Soc. J. 27, 74–77 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03006854
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03006854