Simpson and ‘The Discovery of Chloroform’

Abstract

It is widely accepted that Sir James Young Simpson discovered the anaesthetic properties of chloroform and pioneered its application in surgery and midwifery. The name of Simpson is not infrequently also associated with the discovery of chloroform and of anaesthesia. Simpson certainly did not discover the substance chloroform or anaesthesia, there is doubt as to whether he discovered the anaesthetic properties of chloroform, and he may not have been the first person to administer chloroform anaesthesia to a patient. He did, however, play an important role in the introduction of chloroform anaesthesia particularly in midwifery and obstetrics.

A Painless Surgery Joseph Johnstone Performed on a Mesmerized Patient in Madras in 1847

“…The present article journeys into a novelty tried by a private-medical practitioner Joseph Johnstone in Madras in 1847. The term 'novelty' refers to not using inhalant anaesthetics (ether or chloroform; the use of chloroform was discovered by James Simpson of Edinburgh in 1847, with whom Joseph Johnstone trained before he left for Madras; Simpson, 1990) to bring the patient to a 'painless' state. Instead, Johnstone placed the European patient under mesmeric influence before excision and maintained that during the surgery.…”

Retinoblastoma: from discovery to clinical management

“…In 1850, Hermann von Helmholtz announced the invention of the ophthalmoscope, and was the first to observe the fundus of the human eye [6]. By the 1830s, chloroform was discovered as a chemical compound, but its anaesthetic application along with ether was established in 1847 by Simpson in midwifery procedures [7]. Both of these tools allowed the early detection of retinoblastoma and brought better relief for the enucleation of the globe‐eye; therefore, this procedure became more accepted.…”

Analgesia and anaesthesia in childbirth: obscurantism and obfuscation

“…Although the dangers of chloroform were quickly apparent, to the extent that by 1863 there had been 123 deaths attributable to chloroform alone, this information was denied by Simpson. He blamed as fictitious or wrong diagnoses any reports of chloroform deaths ( Simpson 1896, Simpson 1990 p. 67). It may not be surprising that such information was not made available to Victorian women, but the same lack of authoritative information for women also applies 150 years later ( Mander 1994).…”