Operating Amphitheater, Administering Ether, 1888

Scene in the Operating Room Amphitheater of the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. Instruction in surgery, administering ether to a patient. Anesthesia traditionally meant the condition of having sensation (including the feeling of pain) blocked or temporarily taken away. This allows patients to undergo surgery and other procedures without the distress and pain they would otherwise experience. American physician Crawford W. Long noticed that his friends felt no pain when they injured themselves while staggering around under the influence of ether. He immediately thought of its potential in surgery. A student named James Venable, had two small tumors he wanted excised and on March 30, 1842, he had a painless operation. However, Long did not announce his discovery until 1849

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Administering Amphitheater Anesthesia Anesthetic Ether Instruction Operating Williamson

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