In 1846, He Created General Anesthesia — Meet the Brilliant Mind Behind Painless Surgery

Written by Romário Pereira de Carvalho

Published on 09/07/2025 at 15:21

Imagem ilustrativa: IA

Be the first to react!

The Invention of Ether as an Anesthetic Revolutionized Medicine and Ended the Era of Painful Improvised Surgeries

Until the early 19th century, surgery was synonymous with pain. Without effective anesthesia, doctors and dentists relied on opium, alcohol, and “laughing gas,” nitrous oxide. The latter, synthesized in 1772, helped alleviate pain but was not sufficient for complete sedation.

It was only in September 1846 that something different happened. American dentist William T. G. Morton performed the first painless tooth extraction.

The news spread, and soon he was invited by a famous surgeon from Boston to repeat the feat in a larger surgery.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

See also

Morton used a cloth soaked with a substance he called Letheon. The patient inhaled it and fell asleep.

The mysterious substance, however, was not new. It was ethyl ether, known until then for its recreational use.

The name Letheon was merely a marketing gimmick, inspired by the river Lethe from Greek mythology, which would make souls forget the past.

But Morton was not the first to use ether as an anesthetic. In 1842, American physician Crawford W. Long had already performed surgeries under the influence of the substance.

He realized that his patients did not remember the pain. However, he only published his experiments in 1849, when Morton had already gained prominence in the newspapers and even crossed the Atlantic.

Morton tried to patent Letheon and profit from his discovery. The scientific community did not approve. Ether already existed, and the patent attempt seemed opportunistic.

The fight for credit became even more heated with the entry of other names: Horace Wells, Morton’s assistant, and Charles Jackson, a chemistry professor who taught Morton to use ether.

The end of Morton’s story was tragic. He died in poverty in 1868, with his reputation tarnished. Still, he achieved a merit recognized later: he created the first device to control ether inhalation during surgeries. It was simple, with glass vials and wooden mouthpieces, but it helped prevent overdoses.

The popularization of ether paved the way for other substances. Chloroform, for example, was used by Queen Victoria during the birth of her eighth child in 1853.

The monarch’s approval boosted widespread use. It was the end of the era of surgeries without anesthesia.

With information from Super Interessante.

In 1846, He Created General Anesthesia — Meet the Brilliant Mind Behind Painless Surgery

The Invention of Ether as an Anesthetic Revolutionized Medicine and Ended the Era of Painful Improvised Surgeries

While an average building in London or New York takes three years to be completed, in China a 26-story tower went up in five days with about 100 workers, and the global modular construction market already moves US$ 95 billion per year.

Australia installs giant concrete structures on the seabed 800 meters from the shore to create an ocean intake for desalination that will draw in saltwater and produce 30 million liters of drinking water per day.

While cities spend fortunes patching potholes and tons of plastic become waste, the Netherlands transforms over 218,000 recycled cups into a modular bike path that can conceal drainage, cables, and pipes.

A public school student single-handedly created a machine capable of treating water for up to 50 people using only solar energy. It was awarded third place at one of the most important science fairs in the world.

Goodbye traditional washing machine: Panasonic surprises housewives with the NA-G5 featuring four drums, a 13 kg washer and dryer, a 12 kg dryer, independent mini washers, a heat pump, and a 4-in-1 system awarded at the German Design Award.

While communities suffer from water scarcity and the advancing desert, women in Morocco use nets high up in the mountains to trap fog droplets, fill reservoirs, and transport drinking water through more than 10 km of piping.

Volkswagen admits to Reuters that the value of its cars is falling in Brazil due to the aggressive entry of Chinese companies like BYD, but asserts that it will not enter a price war and believes it is well-positioned to hold back the advance.

How to make charcoal in the backyard using a small oven covered with galvanized sheets and sealed with fine soil, in a traditional Filipino technique called pugon that yields up to one and a half bags of charcoal per burn.

You won’t believe how industrial egg production works in Brazil and the level of technology behind millions of units produced every day.

Material practically banned for almost 90 years makes a strong comeback in construction: made of hemp and lime, it insulates 15 times more than concrete, absorbs CO₂ over the centuries, and challenges an industry that helped push it out of the market.

In 1846, He Created General Anesthesia — Meet the Brilliant Mind Behind Painless Surgery

The Invention of Ether as an Anesthetic Revolutionized Medicine and Ended the Era of Painful Improvised Surgeries

While an average building in London or New York takes three years to be completed, in China a 26-story tower went up in five days with about 100 workers, and the global modular construction market already moves US$ 95 billion per year.

Australia installs giant concrete structures on the seabed 800 meters from the shore to create an ocean intake for desalination that will draw in saltwater and produce 30 million liters of drinking water per day.

While cities spend fortunes patching potholes and tons of plastic become waste, the Netherlands transforms over 218,000 recycled cups into a modular bike path that can conceal drainage, cables, and pipes.

A public school student single-handedly created a machine capable of treating water for up to 50 people using only solar energy. It was awarded third place at one of the most important science fairs in the world.

Goodbye traditional washing machine: Panasonic surprises housewives with the NA-G5 featuring four drums, a 13 kg washer and dryer, a 12 kg dryer, independent mini washers, a heat pump, and a 4-in-1 system awarded at the German Design Award.

While communities suffer from water scarcity and the advancing desert, women in Morocco use nets high up in the mountains to trap fog droplets, fill reservoirs, and transport drinking water through more than 10 km of piping.

How to make charcoal in the backyard using a small oven covered with galvanized sheets and sealed with fine soil, in a traditional Filipino technique called pugon that yields up to one and a half bags of charcoal per burn.

You won’t believe how industrial egg production works in Brazil and the level of technology behind millions of units produced every day.

The Brazilian who saw value where everyone saw trash: entrepreneur transforms discarded cans into durable furniture, creates patented technique, and shows that sustainability can turn into income and future.

Man transforms a giant trunk from one of the largest trees in the world, nearly a thousand years old, into a cabin with beds, kitchen, and bathroom, and now wants to take the historic piece to become a roadside tourist attraction.

Volkswagen admits to Reuters that the value of its cars is falling in Brazil due to the aggressive entry of Chinese companies like BYD, but asserts that it will not enter a price war and believes it is well-positioned to hold back the advance.

How to make charcoal in the backyard using a small oven covered with galvanized sheets and sealed with fine soil, in a traditional Filipino technique called pugon that yields up to one and a half bags of charcoal per burn.

You won’t believe how industrial egg production works in Brazil and the level of technology behind millions of units produced every day.

Material practically banned for almost 90 years makes a strong comeback in construction: made of hemp and lime, it insulates 15 times more than concrete, absorbs CO₂ over the centuries, and challenges an industry that helped push it out of the market.