Some account of the first use of sulphuric ether by inhalation in surgical practice.
- George Hayward
- Date:
- [1847]
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Some account of the first use of sulphuric ether by inhalation in surgical practice. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.
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![SOME ACCOUNT OF THE FIRST USE OF SULPHURIC ETHER BY INHALATION IN SURGICAL PRACTICE. By GEORGE HAYWARD, M. D. [Read before the Boston Society for Medical Improvement, April 12th, 1847.] That most persons can be rendered insensible to the pain of surgical operations by inhaling the vapor of sulphuric ether, is now well established. The safety of so doing can hardly be questioned, when it is known that it has probably been used in this way by several thousand individuals in this city within the last six months, without a fatal, and I believe I may add, an alarming result, in a single instance. Ill consequences, too, are most likely to be met with when a powerful agent, like this, is first getting into use, before all its properties are well understood, and before the best mode of administering it has been ascertained. That some unpleasant cases have occurred, there is no doubt; that it has failed to produce the desired degree of insensibility in a few others, is certain ; but in no instance of which I have heard, has there been any serious or untoward effects that continued for any length of time. At the same time it must be admitted that a great degree of caution is required in its administration, and it therefore can only be regarded safe in the hands of scientific and skilful persons. The dangers seem to me to arise principally from two sources. First, from allowing the inhalation to be too long continued; and secondly, from not adopting suitable means by which the lungs can be well supplied with atmospheric air, while the inhalation is going on. With regard to the first, it may be observed, that it hardly admits of a doubt, that the peculiar state of the system that is produced by the vapor of ether when breathed, is that of narcotism ; similar to what is sometimes](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21020826_0007.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
