James Simpson

• Who was James Simpson 


  James Simpson was a Scottish scientist famous for his work with anaesthetics during operation.

  1847 he accidentally knocked over a jar of chloroform and it sent him into a deep sleep.

  he was also an obstetrician and improved upon the design of forceps for delivering babies
• What was used before Chloroform 


  herbal form such as opium

  then laughing gas( nitrous oxide)

  ether which caused vomiting and was flammable

  these were all less effective than chloroform and the dosage was hard to control
• What was Simpsons short term effect

  • chloroform helped fight off pain during surgeries which allowed for more complex surgery's to take place.
  • Queen Victoria used chloroform in her birth of Prince Leopold in 1850
• What was Simpsons long term effect


  • improved patient comfort during surgeries
  • helped establish the use of anaesthetics
  • emphasised the importance of patient comfort
  • allowed for more complex surgeries
• how was Simpson limited 


  opposition from the church as they believed pain during child birth was punishment from god.

  seen as unnatural

  it once killed a 15 year old girl Hannah Greener during a toenail operation