The Anesthesiology Section of the newly reorganized Pain Branch was to be an expanded program in the evaluation of drugs for dental anesthesia and analgesia. Edward Driscoll had cut back on his experimental work as he took on new administrative responsibilities in the Dental Institute, but he continued to be an advocate for pain research at NIDR, and for effective alternatives to general anesthesia during oral surgery.
To staff the Anesthesiology Section, Dubner and Driscoll looked for people with expertise in psychology, pharmacology, and neurology, as well as dentistry, and with the skills and background to refine the complex methodologies of clinical trials to evaluate analgesics.
