Who invented anesthesia?

Dear Clever Cali,

Who invented anesthesia? Is it true that surgeries used to be performed without anesthesia? Sounds pretty nightmarish to me.

Sincerely,

Curious Carlene

Dear Curious Carlene,

It is unfortunately very true that in the Western world surgeries were performed once upon a time without any anesthesia. In fact, many Western doctors in the Victorian era preferred to perform surgeries without advanced anesthetics. When anesthesia began increasing in popularity, some doctors actually advocated against it; they thought it would reduce the amount of “heroics” required of the surgeon. A review authored by Daniel Robinson for the Journal of Investigative Surgery states poetically that “of all milestones and achievements in medicine, conquering pain must be one of the very few that has potentially affected every human being in the world.”

According to the same article, it was Dr. William Morton, a young Boston dentist, who performed the first successful Western surgery with anesthesia. Various attempts prior had been made, using chemicals like ether and even chloroform. Morton’s efforts in 1846, proving that gas could put people to sleep temporarily, offered a solution to “one of mankind’s greatest fears, the pain of surgery.” And the innovations continue!

~Clever Cali