The history of anaesthesia
16 October 2025 - 7 mins
Podcast Series
Moncrieff
Today is World Anaesthesia Day, which marks the first successful demonstration of the inhalation of ether vapour as a means of overcoming pain of surgery.
It happened on October 16th, 1846 at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, during a surgery performed by dentist William T. G. Morton.
Ireland followed suit with a second successful trial, which was administered on an 18-year-old girl during the famine.
Consultant Anaesthesiologist Dr. Patrick Seigne says today is an important opportunity to celebrate a practice that is often taken for granted, as well as Ireland’s contribution to the field. He joins Seán to discuss.
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