300 B.C. Juice of mandrake plant was used during Alexandrian period. Egyptians induced unconsciousness by compression of the carotid arteries. In following centuries various plants containing opium and atropine like compounds were used.
1540, Paracelsus administered ether to chickens.
1771, Joseph Priestley isolated and identified depholgisticated air-oxygen and depholgisticated Nitrous oxide.
1825, Hentry Hill Hickman performed surgeries on experimental animals by inducing asphyxiation using carbon dioxide.
1831, Chloroform was discovered independently by Von Liebig, Souberian and Guthrie.
1846 William Thomas Green Morton (1819-1868) demonstrated the use of ether as anaesthetic for the removal of tumor in humans. Later ether was patented as Lethon. Morton deserves the chief credit for the introduction of ether as anaesthetic agent.
1846, Chloroform was used first in animals by Flourens.
1847, Horace Wells (1815-1848) though lived only a for short duration, published valuable information through his news letter “A History of the discovery of the application of Nitrous oxide gas, Ether and other vapours to surgical operations”.
1857, John Snow administered chloroform to Queen Victoria during the delivery of her eighth son Prince Leopold and later it became popular.
Sir William Macewen (1847-1924) Pioneer of oral and nasolaryngeal intubation in diphtheria patients as an alternative to tracheotomy using rubber, gum elastic catheters and metal and flexometalic tubes. Later he administered chloroform and air through the tubes for induction of anaesthesia.
William Stewart Halsted (1852-1922) Famous surgeon proposed the “Principles of Surgery” originated nerve block techniques like blocking brachial plexus, nerves of the face, internal pudental nerve and posterior tibial nerve using cocaine in 1886.
