Anesthesia - History and Origins

Ether and Choloform

The tipping point for anesthesia came on 16^thOctober 1846, when William T.G. Morton demonstrated the removal of a jaw tumour painlessly with the patient being anaesthetized with 'Ether'. Following this demonstration, doctors around the world began using ether successfully for different types of surgeries.

The subsequent year saw the introduction of chloroform into anesthesia and ether and chloroform were used widely throughout the world.

John Snow, a leading anesthetist in London, administered chloroform to Queen Victoria for the birth of her eighth child, Prince Leopold in 1853, for painless labor. Pain-free labor, which was until then considered immoral, gained respectability and it met with the queen's approval.

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"Dr. Snow gave that blessed chloroform and the effect was soothing, quieting, and delightful beyond measure." She was to receive it again for the birth of Princess Beatrice. The method used by John Snow came to be known as 'chloroform a la Reine'. Meanwhile, refinements in the apparatus used to administer ether to the patient continued to take place(3^✔ ✔Trusted Source
John Snow, MD: anaesthetist to the Queen of England and pioneer epidemiologist

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