IN 1846, THE FIRST ANESTHETIC TO be successfully used for surgery was publicly demonstrated. Ether was immediately declared, "The greatest gift ever made to suffering humanity." Today's anesthetic drugs are different, but their importance has not lessened. It is the administration of safe and effective anesthesia that makes it possible for doctors to perform surgeries and other medical treatments that would otherwise kill their patients, or at least cause them great suffering.Anesthesiologists are physicians who provide relief to patients in pain. In the operating room, they deliver anesthetic drugs, usually intravenously, that render people unconscious for the duration of the surgery. They may also deliver a sedative to keep the patient calm and relaxed. During the surgery, anesthesiologists work alongside surgeons, carefully monitoring a range of vital signs to make sure the patient is safe, comfortable, and pain-free. Sometimes it is necessary to adjust the amount of anesthetic, change the patient's position, or provide fluids. At any moment, a crisis could arise that requires quick action to save a life. To say that it is a stressful job is an understatement. Anesthesiologists also work outside the operating room, usually delivering pain medications that do not put patients to sleep. They provide pain relief for pregnant women giving birth, patients with chronic pain, cancer sufferers, patients in the intensive care unit, accident victims in the emergency room, people in hospice care, and people who are suffering health problems due to sleep disturbances. In every case, they collaborate with other physicians to determine the most appropriate treatment plans.Those who make it through the many years of training and preparation will find themselves in a particularly lucrative field of medicine. The median salary for anesthesiologists is well over $300,000 a year, which is even more than most surgeons make. Most are hired directly out of school because the demand for trained anesthesiologists is greater than the supply. Despite the obvious tangible rewards, most anesthesiologists (over 80 percent) report exceptional job satisfaction, but not because of the money or job security. They say they love their work because they spend their days making someone else's life better.