Byline: Sukumar. Desai, Manisha. Desai, Chandrakant. Pandav

While many may argue as to who deserves the most credit for the discovery of modern anaesthesia, events in the late 18[sup] th and early 19[sup] th centuries led to the introduction and development of modern anaesthetic techniques. English physicist and chemist Humphry Davy [1778-1829] first became aware of the sedative and analgesic properties of nitrous oxide in 1795. Although he never experimented with the drug during a surgical procedure, he was the first to suggest that it would be beneficial in relieving pain during surgical procedures. The mind-altering properties of nitrous oxide and ether were often abused for recreational purposes, and the term 'ether frolics' was coined to describe such use. While physician William Crawford Williamson Long [1815-1878] first used ether during general surgery, medical student William Edward Clarke [1819-1898] was the first to use ether for dental extraction in 1842. Dr. Long neglected to publicize his findings until 1849, thereby denying himself much of the credit he deserved. Dentist Horace Wells [1815-1848] successfully used nitrous oxide for dental procedures, but a public demonstration which he held in January 1845 turned out to be a fiasco. Medical student William Thomas Green Morton [1819-1868] was the first to publicly demonstrate the effectiveness of ether for general surgery on October 16, 1846. This article seeks to give rightful credit to each of these individuals for their unique contributions to the discovery of modern anaesthesia.

Introduction

Few medical specialties can claim a history as colourful and controversial as anaesthesiology. Variously practiced before the mid-18[sup] th century using alcohol, nar-cotics, hallucinogens, ischaemia, nerve compression, re-frigeration, or haemorrhagic shock, the first hint of an ef-fective analgesic was provided by Englishman Humphry Davy. Unfortunately, neither he nor his contemporaries followed up on his suggestion. It was only after nitrous oxide and ether enjoyed recreational use that their inevi-table use as anaesthetics would emerge. Modesty, igno-rance, and lack of assertiveness contributed to the con-troversy over the discoverer of anaesthesia.

Humphry Davy (1778-1829)

Born on December 17, 1778, in Cornwall, England, Davy had very modest beginnings. The son of a wood carver, he grew up in rural and industrial surroundings. He finished school at age 15 and was apprenticed to an apothecary-surgeon at 17. Davy was a good writer, and wrote many poems in both English and Latin. A self-taught man, he greatly admired Sir Isaac Newton. Achieving similar fame was his life's mission. He ex-perimented with the effects of inhaling nitrous oxide and, at Thomas Beddoes's urging, became an assistant and then superintendent of the Pneumatic Institute in Clifton, Bristol. Within a year, he published a book de-scribing the analgesic effect of nitrous oxide: 'As ni-trous oxide in its extensive operation appears capable of destroying physical pain, it may probably be used with advantage during surgical operations[sup] [1] .He coined the term Laughing Gas for nitrous oxide. For half a century no one paid attention to his prophetic predic-tion. At 22, Davy accepted a post at the Royal Institu-tion...