We have analysed, with the aid of an online database, the number of all types of contributions from scientists of various countries to four leading international anaesthesia Journals ('British Journal of Anaesthesia, Anaesthesia, Anesthesia and Analgesia and Anesthesiology) during the period 1987–1991. Although American and British publications played the leading roles in the total number of anaesthetic publications (40.4% and 32.5%, respectively), more detailed analysis revealed an unexpectedly high “publication output” of smaller countries, which sometimes exceeded those of larger nations (publications per million inhabitants: United Kingdom 41.9, Denmark 24.2, Sweden 15.4, Finland 15.3, Israel 14.6, Ireland 13.1, U.S.A. 11.9, Switzerland 11.0).