Polish Pioneers of Regional Anaesthesia
Zajączkowska R, Kocot-Kępska M, Misiołek H, Daszkiewicz A, Jakowicka-Wordliczek J, Przeklasa-Muszyńska A, Dobrogowski J, Wordliczek J. 
Aim
The aim of this paper is to present outstanding Polish physicians, Henryk Hilarowicz (1890-1941) and Ryszard Rodziński (1890-1938), who were the first in the world to describe and apply in everyday clinical practice the regional techniques developed by them at that time (in the 1920s): the interscalene brachial plexus block (performed between the anterior and middle scalene muscles) and combined spinal-epidural anaesthesia.
Methods
For this purpose, an analysis of the available medical literature, databases and documents from 1920-1939 was carried out.
Results
Professor Henryk Hilarowicz first described the technique of brachial plexus block performed in the interscalene groove between the anterior and middle scalene muscles. His article describing the technique was published in the German journal Zentralblatt für Chirurgie in 1925 [Hilarowicz H.: Zur Technik der Leitunganästhesie am Plexus Brachialis, Zentralblatt für Chirurgie 1925, 42, 2349-2351], 45 years before Alon Winnie, who is widely credited as the originator of this method.
Ryszard Rodziński was the first in the world to combine both neuraxial blocks. He used combined spinal-epidural analgesia not only in general surgery, but also in gynaecology, obstetrics, and urology. [Rodziński R.: Über eine neue Betäubungsmethode der unteren Körpergebiete: Sakrolumbalanästhesie. Zentralblatt für Chirurgie 1923, 50, 1249-1251].
Conclusions
Based on the evidence available in historical documents and medical literature, Henryk Hilarowicz and Ryszard Rodzinski can be regarded as worldwide pioneers of regional anaesthesia.

POLISH PIONEERS OF REGIONAL ANAESTHESIA