The Semi-Centennial of an Sthesia, October 16, 1846-October 16, 1896

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1897 Excerpt: ... REMINISCENCES OF 1846 R. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN: Fifty years ago to-day occurred the first authentic, unquestionable, public exhibition of anaesthesia during a surgical operation. As one of the few surviving witnesses of that memorable event, the most important in surgical, and one of the most important in human history, I have been invited to state my recollection of the incidents attending it, and very gladly comply with the request. The operation in which the anaesthetic was administered was performed in the surgical amphitheatre of the Massachusetts General Hospital by Dr. John C. Warren, in the presence of a number of distinguished surgeons and physicians, including Dr. Hayward, the elder Dr. Bigelow, one of the wisest and greatest men who have adorned our profession with their multifarious gifts and accomplishments, and his celebrated son, not then arrived at the zenith of his fame. The Harvard medical class was also present. After some delay Dr. William Morton appeared with his apparatus, when Dr. Warren addressed the medical class, which had not been previously notified of the proposed experiment, stating in substance that there was a gentleman present who claimed that he had discovered that the inhalation of a certain agent would produce insensibility to pain during surgical operations with safety to the patient, and he added that the class Reminiscences was aware that he had always regarded that condition as OF,84 an important desideratum in operative surgery, and he had decided to permit him to try the experiment The patient, who was a young man, was suffering from a vascular tumor of the neck on the left side, occupying the space from the edge of the jaw downward to the larynx and from the angle of the jaw to the median line. Dr. Morton procee...