In this country, blocking the brachial plexus has not become an established procedure, nor has this method of anesthesia received wide attention. The Cumulative Index fails to list a single article of American origin describing the use of brachial plexus anesthesia for operations on the upper extremity. HISTORICAL REVIEW Blocking the brachial plexus was first described by Kulenkampff in 1911. This author reported twenty-five cases with complete anesthesia in fifteen, and a partial anesthesia, which was sufficient for the desired operation, in five others, but failure with the remaining five. In the same year, Hirschel published a report of three additional operations performed by means of brachial injections. It has been pointed out that every new surgical method, before becoming firmly established, must pass through three stages: a period of optimism, a period of pessimism, and a period of adjustment. The history of brachial plexus anesthesia has not been an