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Getting High for Science

8/7/2022

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Picture
Sir James Y. Simpson (1811-1870) was the Chair of Midwifery at the University of Edinburgh. He was an early adapter of ether for pain relief during labor, but was dissatisfied with its disagreeable side-effects.

He and a few of his physician friends began to self-experiment (a long tradition in medicine) by sniffing various volatile chemicals at the dinner-table after lunch. The sketch above illustrates the "under the table" moments from such trials. In November 1847, they finally settled on chloroform as the ideal anesthetic for labor.

Simpson was a bold and imaginative Obstetrician-Gynecologist who made numerous contributions to his profession. To most, he is remembered for his role in promoting and defending the use of anesthesia in Midwifery.

​Click here to read more about the early days of pain relief in labor.

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