Harold Randall Griffith (July 25, 1894 – 1985) was a Canadian anesthesiologist and a leader in the fields of anesthesiology.
[1] He received his MDCM from McGill University in 1922, and an MD in homeopathic medicine from Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia in 1923.
On that day, almost one hundred years after ether anesthesia had been demonstrated by William Morton, he revolutionized the practice of anesthesia by demonstrating that a substance, which until then had been considered a poison, could be safely used to produce muscle relaxation for surgery.
The introduction of muscle relaxants reduced anesthetic requirements, increased the scope of surgery, improved operating conditions and decreased morbidity and probably mortality.
[3] In 1943 Dr. Griffith established the first postoperative recovery room in Canada which he believed may have been his major contribution to patient care.
[1][2] His personal papers conserved at the Osler Library of the History of Medicine, McGill University, pertain to his introduction of curare into anesthesiology and contain correspondence, case records, and reprints in addition to the minute book of the Montreal Homeopathic Association.