The article deals with some aspects of spinal anesthesia. It analyses in the light of possible complications the results of spinal anesthesia conducted in 4,186 cases with 1% sovcaine (cinchocaine hydrochloride) solution and 5% novocaine (procaine hydrochloride) solution by 60 surgeons. Spinal anesthesia was applied in patients, whose ages ranged from 11 to 96 years, in various operations. Contraindications for the method were determined. The author appraises comparatively spinal anesthesia with the related peridural anesthesia and discusses the prospects of the development of the method with the existence of new anesthetics and very thin needles for puncture of the subarachnoid space, which leads to the minimum number of possible complications.