18/19: J. Simpson

• Before James Simpson

  • early 19th century: surgeons and patients faced problems which had been there for centuries - pain, shock, lack of time, blood loss and infection.
  • It was difficult to operate successfully on a conscious patient.
  • Speed was essential, a good surgeon could amputate a leg in under three minutes.
  • many patients still died from shock/loss of blood, and more from infection after the operation.
  • In some London hospitals, nine out of ten people died from infection.
• Scientists experimented with anaesthetics to put patients to sleep


  Early 19th century
• Laughing gas


  First gas used, could not be used for longer operations
• when was Ether first used in America, and then by Robert Liston in London?


  1846
• Ether


  Knocked patients out, but was flammable and may damage the lungs
• when did James Simpson first use chloroform successfuly?

  1847
• James Simpson's discovery


  1. Tried it on himself and two doctor friends

  2. Tried different doses on each other until they were unconscious
• James Simpson


  Professor of midwifery, first used chloroform to help women in labour
• Chloroform was soon obvious that it was the most long-lasting and reliable anaesthetic
• Chloroform


  • Could knock people out for longer operations and so gave surgeons more time when operating
• James Simpson laid the foundations for... (after)

  • Ironically, chloroform use initially led to the 'black period of surgery', a 20-year period when the death rate actually went up.
  • This was not the fault of Simpson or chloroform.
  • Patients still died from blood loss or from infections picked up in the operating theatre because doctors:
  • Didn't bother to wash their hands
  • coughed over patients
  • wore bloody aprons as a badge of honour on the wards
• James Simpson laid the foundations for... (after)

  • Chloroform was a breakthrough and surgery improved over time.
  • 1850s: John Snow, known for his work on cholera, developed an inhaler to regulate the dosage.
  • Queen Victoria had chloroform during the births of two of her children. This made chloroform more acceptable.
  • Other developments, e.g. the use of antiseptics during surgery, reduced mortality.