100 years of intubation anesthesia. William Macewen, a pioneer of endotracheal intubation

Endotracheal anaesthesia with the help of orotracheal intubation is 100 years old. In 1880, William Macewen was the first to describe and to perform that technique. In his paper entitled "clinical observations on the introduction of tracheal tubes by the mouth instead of performing tracheotomy or laryngotomy' he describes in addition two cases of endotracheal intubation lasting at least 36 h. He can, therefore, be said also to have performed the first long-time intubation.