Anesthesiology is the practice of medicine dedicated to the relief of pain and the total care of the surgical patient before, during, and after surgery. Without anesthesia, many of modern medicine's greatest benefits would not exist.
The anesthesiologist is the preoperative physician (peril meaning “all-around”) who provides medical care to patients throughout their surgical experience. This includes evaluating the patient before surgery (preoperative), consulting with the surgeon, providing pain control and monitoring life functions during surgery (intraoperative), supervising care after surgery (postoperative), and medically discharging the patient from the recovery unit.