In 2006 Professor Harold Ellis, CBE Mch FRCS, during an interview at the Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret shared this little love story connected to the invention of the rubber gloves. What comes next is a transcription of
Review: Quacks and Anaesthesia
Set in a time of change for medicine, Quacks also embraces the introduction of pain relief. Quacks is treating anaesthesia for effect, but there are also kernels of historic truth in this comedy. Firstly, their ether and chloroform is applied
Ether, Anaesthesia and the Old Operating Theatre
In August 2008, as part of the building works at the museum, samples of sawdust from under the operating theatre were taken by conservator Jonna Holt. Apart from other things, she found ether residue in the area of the head
Chloroform – Fear, Crime and (Pain) Relief
The fear of the effects of chloroform goes back to the earliest days of its use in the late 1840s. This fear manifested itself in many ways. First, there was the surgeon who feared that the chloroforming would not be
The Truth and Pearl Harbor – Sodium Thiopental
A couple of weeks ago, whilst looking through stores and collections at the museum, the Curatorial Team came across an interesting box inscribed with the name “Sodium Thiopenal”. Knowing about my interest in all things anaesthetic, they asked me to
John Snow, the First English Anaesthetist, Part 7: Chloroform, Death and Explanations
John Snow’s credentials as the first English Anaesthetist have long been established. It was described in a previous blog, how his clinical evaluation and experiments helped establish an understanding of the safe use of ether and chloroform. The use of
John Snow, the First English Anaesthetist, Part 6: John Snow and the Pump Handle
Cholera had originally come from the East, transported by ship around the world. The first notes in a British Medical Journal come from a doctor in India in the year 1817. From then on the spreading of the disease could
John Snow, the First English Anaesthetist, Part 5: Anaesthetist to Queen Victoria
In the 1850s, with John Snow’s contributions to the science behind Anaesthesia, his fame in the London medical circle was growing. He had become a Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians, the penultimate stage of recognition at the time.
John Snow, the First English Anaesthetist. Part 4: 1847, Ether and Chloroform
Medical life in London, especially for General Practitioners, was tough in the middle of the 19th century. The oversupply of GPs meant that income was low and competition tight. Snow had forged his medical career in this environment after passing his
John Snow, the First English Anaesthetist. Part 3: A medical living and the arrival of ether
John Snow took his medical qualifications in 1838 and started to look into ways of setting out in his chosen career. The first choice was staying at Westminster Hospital, where he had been walking the wards as a student. Just
John Snow, the First English Anaesthetist. Part 2: Medical School Days
There were 21 medical schools in London offering training for dual qualification. This meant that they fulfilled the requirements of both the ‘college’ and ‘hall’ as they were known, or Royal College of Surgeons and Apothecaries’ Hall. Both exams qualified
John Snow, the First English Anaesthetist. Part 1: Beginnings and the Way to London
The life of John Snow was the subject of the 2016 Ether Day talk at the Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret. But who was the man now best remembered for the Broad Street pump handle and Cholera and