Dr. Rudolf Matas, professor of surgery at the University of Louisiana (now Tulane University) from 1895 to 1927, was a pioneer in the surgery of the blood vessels, chest and abdomen and was hailed by some as the “father of vascular surgery." In 1900, his report, "The Growing Importance and Value of Local and Regional Anesthesia in Minor and Major Surgery," was published in the Journal of the Louisiana State Medical Society. The paper recounted an operation he performed on Nov. 10, 1899, when he anesthetized a patient by "spinal subarachnoid method." This was the first time this procedure had been reported. He is credited with the development of the intravenous drip technique and suction siphonage in abdominal operations. He died in 1957.

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