History of Anesthesia Timeline

(c. 4000 BCE – Present)

The history of anesthesia traces humanity's efforts to relieve pain during surgery, from ancient civilizations using opium, alcohol, and herbal preparations to the revolutionary introduction of ether and chloroform in the 19th century. Pioneers like William Morton, Crawford Long, and James Simpson transformed surgery into a humane practice, while later advances in intravenous agents, muscle relaxants, and monitoring technology established anesthesiology as a sophisticated medical specialty. More Less

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Ancient and Medieval Anesthesia

Ether possibly synthesized

700 CE

The most famous anesthetic, ether, may have been synthesized as early as the 8th century, but it took many centuries for its anesthetic importance to be appreciated, even though Paracelsus later noted that chickens made to breathe it fell asleep and felt no pain.

Image source: Diethyl ether

Soporific sponge introduced to Europe

1190 CE

The 'soporific sponge' ('sleep sponge') used by Arabic physicians was introduced to Europe by the Salerno school of medicine in the late 12th century, providing a means of inducing unconsciousness before surgery.

Image source: Anesthesia

Ugo Borgognoni promotes the soporific sponge

1200 CE

In the 13th century, Ugo Borgognoni (1180–1258) promoted and used the soporific sponge in Italy, helping to spread the practice of chemically induced unconsciousness during surgical procedures.

Theodoric Borgognoni describes the sponge

1250 CE

The sponge was promoted and described by Ugo's son and fellow surgeon, Theodoric Borgognoni (1205–1298), who documented its use for producing sleep before operations.

Image source: Theodoric Borgognoni

Theodoric Borgognoni describes the sponge

Theodoric Borgognoni uses opiate mixtures

1250 CE

In 13th-century Italy, Theodoric Borgognoni used mixtures along with opiates to induce unconsciousness, and treatment with the combined alkaloids proved a mainstay of anesthesia until the 19th century.

Paracelsus notes ether's anesthetic effects

1550 CE

The 16th century physician and polymath Paracelsus noted that chickens made to breathe ether not only fell asleep but also felt no pain, an early observation of the substance's anesthetic potential that went largely unexploited.

Image source: Paracelsus

Discovery of Modern Anesthetics

Priestley discovers nitrous oxide

1772

In 1772, English scientist Joseph Priestley discovered the gas nitrous oxide, laying the groundwork for its later investigation as a possible anesthetic agent.

Image source: Nitrous oxide

Davy experiments on himself with nitrous oxide

1799

In 1799, British chemist and inventor Humphry Davy decided to find out about nitrous oxide's properties by experimenting on himself, experiencing its euphoric and pain-dulling effects firsthand.

Image source: Humphry Davy

Davy suggests nitrous oxide for surgery

1800

In 1800 Davy wrote about the potential anesthetic properties of nitrous oxide in relieving pain during surgery, but nobody at that time pursued the matter any further.

Ether used recreationally

1820

By the early 19th century, ether was being used by humans, but only as a recreational drug, with 'ether frolics' popular among students and the public before its medical value was recognized.

Chloroform discovered

1831

Chloroform was discovered in 1831 by American physician Samuel Guthrie (1782–1848), and independently a few months later by Frenchman Eugène Soubeiran (1797–1859) and Justus von Liebig (1803–1873) in Germany.

Dumas names and characterizes chloroform

1834

Chloroform was named and chemically characterized in 1834 by Jean-Baptiste Dumas (1800–1884), establishing its identity as a distinct chemical compound.

Image source: Jean-Baptiste Dumas

Glover discovers chloroform's anesthetic qualities

1842

In 1842, Dr Robert Mortimer Glover discovered the anesthetic qualities of chloroform through his research, though it would be several years before the drug was used clinically on humans.

Early Clinical Use

Hanaoka Seishū performs first surgery under general anesthesia

Nov 14, 1804

On 14 November 1804, Hanaoka Seishū, a Japanese doctor, became the first person to successfully perform surgery using general anesthesia, using a herbal formula he developed.

Image source: Hanaoka Seishū

Hanaoka Seishū performs first surgery under general anesthesia

Crawford Long performs painless operation

Mar 30, 1842

Venable agreed to surgery under ether, and on 30 March 1842 he underwent a painless operation performed by Crawford Long, the first recorded use of ether anesthesia in surgery. However, Long did not announce his discovery until 1849.

Image source: Crawford Long

Crawford Long performs painless operation

Horace Wells' public demonstration fails

1845

Horace Wells conducted the first public demonstration of the inhalational anesthetic nitrous oxide at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston in 1845; the demonstration was considered a failure when the patient cried out.

Image source: Horace Wells

Morton's successful ether demonstration

Oct 16, 1846

On 16 October 1846, Boston dentist William Thomas Green Morton gave a successful demonstration using diethyl ether to medical students at Massachusetts General Hospital, heralding the birth of modern anesthesia.

Image source: William T. G. Morton

News of ether anesthesia spreads worldwide

Dec 19, 1846

Morton received a US patent for his substance, but news of the successful anesthetic spread quickly by late 1846. On 19 December 1846, in Dumfries Royal Infirmary, Scotland, a Dr. Scott used ether on a patient, one of the first uses outside America.

Image source: History of general anesthesia

Simpson demonstrates chloroform on humans

1847

In 1847, Scottish obstetrician James Young Simpson was the first to demonstrate the anesthetic properties of chloroform on humans and helped to popularize the drug for use in medicine, particularly in obstetrics.

Image source: James Young Simpson

First chloroform fatality recorded

Jan 28, 1848

The first fatality directly attributed to chloroform administration was recorded on 28 January 1848 after the death of Hannah Greener, highlighting the dangers of the new anesthetic agent.

John Snow publishes 'On Narcotism by the Inhalation of Vapours'

May 1848

John Snow of London published articles from May 1848 onwards 'On Narcotism by the Inhalation of Vapours' in the London Medical Gazette, advancing the scientific understanding of inhalational anesthesia.

Image source: John Snow

Queen Victoria receives chloroform in labor

1853

Chloroform gained royal approval in 1853 when John Snow administered it to Queen Victoria when she was in labor with Prince Leopold, greatly boosting public acceptance of obstetric anesthesia.

Hanaoka's achievements isolated until 1854

1854

Hanaoka's finding did not benefit the rest of the world until 1854, as the national isolation policy of the Tokugawa shogunate prevented his achievements from being publicized until after the isolation ended. Before his death in 1835, he had performed more than 150 operations for breast cancer.

Karl Koller uses cocaine in eye surgery

1884

Cocaine was first used in eye surgery in 1884 by Karl Koller, at the suggestion of Sigmund Freud, introducing local anesthesia into clinical practice.

Image source: Karl Koller (ophthalmologist)

August Bier performs first spinal anesthesia

1898

German surgeon August Bier (1861–1949) was the first to use cocaine for intrathecal anesthesia in 1898, pioneering the technique of spinal anesthesia.

Image source: August Bier

Racoviceanu-Pitești presents intrathecal opioid analgesia

1901

Romanian surgeon Nicolae Racoviceanu-Pitești (1860–1942) was the first to use opioids for intrathecal analgesia; he presented his experience in Paris in 1901.

Image source: History of neuraxial anesthesia

Professionalization and Modern Era

Alice Magaw born

Nov 1860

Alice Magaw, born in November 1860, is often referred to as 'The Mother of Anesthesia'. Her renown as the personal anesthesia provider for William and Charles Mayo solidified the role of nurse anesthetists.

Image source: Alice Magaw

Mayo praises nurse anesthetists

1905

Alice Magaw's renown was solidified by Mayo's own words in his 1905 article in which he described his satisfaction with and reliance on nurse anesthetists: 'The question of anaesthesia is a most important one.'

First comprehensive anesthesia textbook published

1914

The first comprehensive medical textbook on the subject, Anesthesia, was authored in 1914 by anesthesiologist Dr. James Tayloe Gwathmey, helping to establish anesthesia as a formal medical specialty.

First anesthesia mortality study

1954

The first study on mortality in anesthesia from 1954 reported a rate of death from all causes at 1:75 and a rate attributed to anesthesia alone at 1:2680, providing early benchmarks for anesthetic safety.

Modern mortality statistics show improved safety

2000

Modern statistics show deaths totally attributed to surgical factors at 1:2860 or anesthesia alone at 1:185,056, illustrating that the single greatest factor in anesthetic mortality is the health of the patient — a dramatic improvement over 1954 figures.

FDA warning on anesthetic use in young children

Dec 14, 2016

On 14 December 2016, the FDA issued a Public Safety Communication warning that repeated or lengthy use of general anesthetic and sedation drugs in children younger than 3 years or pregnant women in their third trimester may affect children's brain development. The warning was criticized by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists over the absence of direct evidence regarding use in pregnant women.

Image source: Food and Drug Administration

Cochrane review on regional anesthesia and chronic pain

2018

A 2018 Cochrane review found moderate quality evidence that regional anesthesia may reduce the frequency of persistent postoperative pain (PPP) from 3 to 18 months following thoracotomy and 3 to 12 months following caesarean.