A collection of 25 thought provoking Essays which create a bridge between the Classical personification of values and link them to current training and education in Western Medicine. This readable and erudite text provides a framework for modern clinical values - with a particular emphasis on anesthesiology - set in the context of ageless dilemmas facing each generation of physicians.

Medicine as a profession carries some specific obligations.The qualities of empathy, knowledge, generosity, respect, and scholarship provide a "family" of values that was personified by the Ancients in the family of Asklepios, and which form the basis of professional values today. Moreover, a substantial amount of professional growth should come from reflection based on the experience of caring for real patients – an appreciation of the human condition. Each essay within this beautifully crafted book illustrates the importance of expertise, skill, focus, mindfulness, and collaboration, all of which are integral to professionalism in medicine, and in particular to those working in the field of anesthesiology.

Anesthesiologists, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists and Anesthesia Assistants will find much to enhance their professional understanding within this text. The principles, values and traits of professionalism are relevant to all medical specialties and these essays provide a lyrical understanding of the traits required for professional development.