224 PRINCIPLES OF VETERINARY SURGERY 



The history of "scientific inhalation anaesthesia" be- 

 gins September 30th, 1846, on which date, Morton, a Bos- 

 ton dentist, performed the first surgical operation under 

 profound anaesthesia. During the four or five years pre- 

 ceding this date, Morton, Wells and Jackson had been 

 conducting experiments with nitrous oxide, and finally at 

 the suggestion of the latter rather accidentally proved 

 that the vapor of ether possessed analogous properties that 

 were more regular, more certain and much more effectual. 

 The discovery was soon heralded over the entire civilized 

 world. Within a single year it had already been tested in 

 every European country, with results that soon bespoke 

 its future position among the great discoveries of the age. 

 About one year later, Simpson of Edinburgh, discovered 

 and announced to the world the value of chloroform in the 

 same capacity. Thus within two years (1846- 1847) the two 

 great inhalation anaesthetics — chloroform and ether — were 

 laid down as the first step toward the high place occupied 

 by surgery at the beginning of the twentieth century. 



In veterinary surgery, ansesthesia has no history. It 

 is used in a kind of desultory fashion that reflects no great 

 credit to the present generation of veterinarians. At the 

 clinics of the great colleges the general anaesthetic is quite 

 generally used in the experimental operations on the large 

 and small animals, and among the leading practitioners of 

 the large cities and some country districts it is occasionally 

 employed ; but that general inhalation anaesthesia is in gen- 

 eral use in the veterinary profession of this country would 

 be a claim that is far from the truth. Many veterinarians 

 of rather wide experience have never in a whole lifetime 

 administered a general anaesthetic in performing their 

 operations. It reflects greatly to the credit of the canine 

 specialist, however, that he alone has adopted anaesthesia 

 to any considerable extent. The veterinarian engaged 



