He Made History

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 18, 30 April 1903, Page 19

He Made History

The broken-down nags that are ridden by the picadores (pikemen) at Spanish bull-fights, have one ear tightly coiled round and round with twine from tip to head. 'It kills the pain, you know,' the Spaniards explain. It is, in good sooth, a rude form of anaesthesia. It is probably very ancient, too, and, for all we know, some pain-killing device of the time may have been used upon human beings before Paracelsus devised his little opiate balls Chloroform is now so much a matter of course in modern surgery that it will come as a surprise to many of our reiuieis to learn that the first man who was put under its influence died only a few weeks ago. The new anaesthetic was discovered by Sir J. Y. .Simpson, of Edinburgh, in 1847. On November 10 of that year, he administered the new anaesthetic to Mr. T. ]). Morrison, a dentist's apprentice, for the exti action of a decayed molar, in the presence of a number of medical and scientific men. Mr. Morrison, previous to the administration of the chloroform, wrote a letter to the discoverer, freeing him from all responsibility in case of accident or death. He was the first patient that went under chloroform and he survhed the ordeal six-and-fil'ty years.