First Surgery Using Inhaled Ether
“Its like my neck got scratched...”
The photo shows the operating room at Boston General Hospital, October 16, 1846. American dentist William Morton demonstrates his discovery of how to use inhaled ether for pain relief. After Morton manipulated diethyl ether, the patient fell asleep and hospital surgeon John Collins Warren performed a ten-minute operation to remove the submandibular tumor.
When the patient, Edward Gilbert Abbott, regained consciousness, Warren asked him how he was feeling. The patient replied, “It feels like my neck has been scratched.” Warrens personal journal for the day states: “This morning he performed an interesting surgery at the hospital while the patient was under the influence of Dr. Mortons pain prevention drug. The substance used was sulfuric ether.”
It is known that several years earlier, Crawford Long, a physician and pharmacist from Jefferson, Georgia, performed several surgeries, including cyst removal, using ether as an anesthetic, but at that time these events were not widely known and did not affect general medical practice.
William Morton never benefited from his discovery and spent his last years in poverty.
The photo shows the operating room at Boston General Hospital, October 16, 1846. American dentist William Morton demonstrates his discovery of how to use inhaled ether for pain relief. After Morton manipulated diethyl ether, the patient fell asleep and hospital surgeon John Collins Warren performed a ten-minute operation to remove the submandibular tumor.
When the patient, Edward Gilbert Abbott, regained consciousness, Warren asked him how he was feeling. The patient replied, “It feels like my neck has been scratched.” Warrens personal journal for the day states: “This morning he performed an interesting surgery at the hospital while the patient was under the influence of Dr. Mortons pain prevention drug. The substance used was sulfuric ether.”
It is known that several years earlier, Crawford Long, a physician and pharmacist from Jefferson, Georgia, performed several surgeries, including cyst removal, using ether as an anesthetic, but at that time these events were not widely known and did not affect general medical practice.
William Morton never benefited from his discovery and spent his last years in poverty.
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Contributed by OldPik on January 6, 2025
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