The discovery of the properties of ether as an anesthetic was one of the major breakthroughs for the medical profession. Until then, patients undergoing surgery had to rely on hypnotism or alcohol.
American Crawford Long (1815-1878) is reputed to have first discovered the effects of ether when attending "laughing gas" parties and "ether frolics" during his years at medical school. There he noticed that those under the influence of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) or ether were unaware of pain through knocks and falls, until the effect had worn off.
Long established his rural practice in Jefferson, Georgia, and began to experiment with sulfuric ether as an anesthetic. The first procedure in which he used ether was an operation on March 30,1842, to remove a tumor from a young man's neck; after the surgery the patient could not believe that it had been done. Long then began to use ether for women during childbirth, but he did not publish his findings.
In 1846 American dentist William Morton claimed to be the first to use ether as an anesthetic, which prompted Long to start recording his research. In 1849 he presented his findings and proof of his work to the Medical College of Georgia, and at the same time learned of two other doctors, Horace Wells and Charles Jackson, who were claiming to have discovered the use of ether as an anesthetic. Although Long's results were published in 1849, he did not receive official recognition during his lifetime. Finally, on June 18, 1879, just one year after his death. Long was credited as the father of anesthesia, and remains widely respected for his work in this field.
